UK’s Rishi Sunak wins vote on Rwanda migrant plan, surviving revolt by Tory lawmakers

“We have decided collectively that we cannot support the bill tonight because of its many omissions,” said Mark Francois, speaking on behalf of some right-wing Conservative lawmakers.

They said they would abstain rather than support Sunak.

All Conservative lawmakers had been ordered by those in charge of party management to back the bill, and the abstentions were a foretaste of likely further rebellions at the next stages of the parliamentary process.

UK home secretary signs new Rwanda treaty to resurrect asylum plan

“Let’s pick this up again in January. We will table amendments and we will take it from there,” Francois said, saying the grouping of about 40 right-wing lawmakers reserved the right to vote against the legislation at a later date.

In a sign of how uncertain Sunak was about the result, Britain’s climate change minister Graham Stuart left the Cop28 summit in Dubai to return to vote in parliament, despite critical climate negotiations still going on.

The prime minister was forced to indicate to would-be rebels during a breakfast meeting in Downing Street that they could amend the legislation later in an attempt to encourage them to back down from a revolt that would have killed the bill.