Robert Jenrick has resigned from his position as immigration minister, citing dissatisfaction with the government’s emergency legislation regarding Rwanda. According to Jenrick, the legislation “falls short” in providing adequate safeguards to prevent a cycle of legal challenges that could potentially cripple the program.
The proposed bill, unveiled earlier, asserts in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country for asylum seekers, aiming to discourage individuals from crossing the English Channel in small boats. Despite this, some members of the Tory right deemed the legislation insufficient.
Robert Jenrick the immigration minister , in his resignation letter addressed to Rishi Sunak, Jenrick mentioned that the prime minister had “moved towards my position” on the emergency legislation. However, he expressed his inability to champion the currently proposed legislation in the Commons, believing that it does not maximize the chances of success.
Jenrick described the bill as “a triumph of hope over experience,” emphasizing the need for “stronger protections” to avoid legal challenges that could paralyze the program. He asserted that this emergency legislation represented the “last opportunity” to demonstrate the government’s commitment to halting small boat crossings.
Prime Minister Sunak expressed disappointment
In response, Prime Minister Sunak expressed disappointment over Jenrick’s resignation, characterizing it as a result of a “fundamental misunderstanding of the situation.” Sunak argued that ousting the courts entirely would jeopardize the entire scheme, emphasizing the Rwandan government’s stance against basing the scheme on legislation that might breach international law obligations.
The draft bill, published concurrently with reports of Jenrick’s resignation, aims to address concerns raised by the UK’s Supreme Court, which had deemed previous plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as unlawful. The bill instructs the courts to disregard specific sections of the Human Rights Act, attempting to circumvent the Supreme Court’s previous judgment.
Despite this, the bill does not meet the expectations of some Tory MPs, including former Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Braverman and her supporters had called for overriding not only the Human Rights Act but also the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the Refugee Convention, and all other international laws. The current bill allows ministers to ignore emergency orders from the European Court of Human Rights but stops short of granting powers to dismiss the entirety of the ECHR.
Critics argue that the bill, as it stands, is “fatally flawed” and predicts prolonged legal battles. The government’s refusal to accommodate more extensive demands from the likes of Suella Braverman could potentially spark dissent among centrist Tories.