Rishi Sunak secures win in Rwanda asylum vote

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Rishi Sunak headed off a Conservative revolt over his flagship Rwanda migration bill on Tuesday night, as the House of Commons voted by 313 to 269 to back the legislation in principle.

It was a comfortable victory for Sunak over right-wing Tory rebels, but the government majority of 44 was only secured after a day of pleading and arm-twisting, and with warnings that the revolt is far from over.

Just before the 7pm vote the Tory right blinked. Mark Francois, head of the European Research Group, announced after a meeting of potential rebels that most of them would abstain rather than vote against.

Downing Street was relieved that not a single Tory MP voted against the bill at its so-called second reading, while 38 Tory MPs either abstained or were absent, including former home office ministers Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick.

But Francois threatened that rebels could vote down the entire bill at its next Commons vote, known as the third reading, unless Sunak follows through on his offer to “tighten” legislation which they regard as too weak.

“We have decided collectively that we cannot support the bill tonight because of its many omissions,” Francois said after a meeting of the self-described “five families” group of right-wing Tory MP factions.

Francois said he expected the government to accept amendments from the Tory right when the bill returns to the Commons early next year, adding: “We agree to reserve the right to vote against it at third reading.”

Sunak wants to get his Safety of Rwanda bill on to the statute book in early 2024 with the first asylum seekers deported to the east African country “by the spring”, ahead of an expected general election next year.

During a frenetic day at Westminster, Sunak urged rebels to back him over breakfast in Downing Street, while party whips were accused by some Tory MPs of…