Rishi Sunak vows to ‘finish the job’ as Tory migration splits burst into the open

LONDON — A defiant Rishi Sunak vowed to take on his Conservative critics Thursday as his party’s deep splits over migration policy burst into the open.

At a hastily-arranged Downing Street press conference, the prime minister — reeling from the resignation of his immigration minister on Wednesday night — declared “I want to finish the job” and insisted a looming vote on his new plan won’t be treated as a matter of confidence in his government.

It comes after Robert Jenrick dramatically quit Sunak’s administration, arguing that a new law to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda didn’t go far enough and would once again fail in the courts.

The Tories have been trying since last year to get the controversial plan of sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing — and potential settlement — by Rwandan authorities off the ground, in the teeth of major legal setbacks on human rights grounds.

On Wednesday Sunak published a new law to try and shore up the scheme and make it harder of the courts to challenge it — but Jenrick is among those claiming it doesn’t make the grade and agitating for more firepower to disregard international human rights law.

Trying to address that criticism head on on Thursday, Sunak said of his Tory detractors: “The difference between them and me is an inch.”

He insisted Jenrick was “simply not right, actually” and that his new plan marked the “toughest anti-illegal immigration law ever.”

But he confirmed that the new Rwanda Bill won’t be treated as a matter of confidence — and dismissed talk of calling a snap poll if he is defeated by Conservative rebels in parliament. Just 28 Tory rebels will be needed to cancel out the government majority next week, in what would be a humiliation for the government.
 
Sunak even tried to downplay Conservative anguish over the law, arguing that the “real question” was not for a host of right-wing Tory caucuses such as the New Conservatives, the European Research Group, or the Common Sense Group with questions about the plan, but the opposition Labour Party, who will also vote against the bill Tuesday.

A defensive Sunak made his brief remarks in the No. 9 Downing Street press room, with his top team looking on

In the front row were his new migration chiefs — Home Secretary James Cleverly, sat next to newly-split-off illegal immigration minister Michael Tomlinson and legal migration minister Tom Pursglove.