Rebel Tory MPs warn it would be ‘insanity’ to topple Rishi Sunak over his Rwanda migrants plan

DO the Tories have a death wish?

Once again they have exploded into civil war. Each day brings a new bloody bout.

This week, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick stuck the knife in with a blistering attack on his old boss Rishi Sunak’s emergency Rwanda Bill.

It will fail to stop the boats, he raged, adding darkly: “The fortunes of the Conservative Party are at stake.”

More teddy bear than grizzly, Robert does not make a convincing assassin. Privately, Team Rishi is scathing about his departure.

“He’s a disgrace,” one Government insider said.

“He is just treacherous — throwing toys out of the pram to get headlines.”

But could his departure trigger another leadership election?

Could the Tories really axe their third leader in 18 months?

Surely MPs realise voters will not stomach another leader being dispatched and will demand a general election.

It takes 53 letters of no confidence to force a Tory leadership election.
Only one man knows how many are in — 1922 chairman Sir Graham Brady.

And he has them hidden in a safe in his parliamentary office.

Earlier this week, one Tory MP asked colleagues if the time had come to start sending in letters.

They were “shouted down” pretty quickly.

The bigger danger for Rishi is that one crisis leads to another and his power starts to slowly, accidentally, drain away.

One battle-hardened party grandee observed: “A leadership challenge is not yet likely. But it is more likely this week than last.”

Having staked so much on his Rwanda plan, if the PM loses the vote his authority will be battered and an early election looks inevitable.

Holding on until May may not even be possible.

Meanwhile, Labour are smiling like Cheshire Cats.

One Shadow Cabinet minister positively purred as they observed: “They are constantly fighting each other, not us — we just sit back and watch.”