Rishi Sunak faces Rwanda court D-Day as Suella Braverman loyalists attack him

14 November 2023 , 16:15

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Rishi Sunak has come under attack from the New Conservatives group (Image: AP)

Rishi Sunak will learn if tens of millions of pounds in taxpayers' cash has potentially been wasted on the Rwanda deportation scheme.

The Supreme Court will deliver a final ruling on whether the controversial project - which has already seen the UK hand £140million to the African nation - is legal. It comes as the Prime Minister braces himself for a bitter battle with rebel Tory MPs loyal to Suella Braverman, who was dramatically sacked on Monday.

The heads of a 40-strong faction questioned ministers' desire to "radically" reduce immigration and demanded the UK withdraws from European human rights protections. Ms Braverman is expected to launch her own attack on the PM if the court rules against the Government, with rumours swirling that she kept a dossier on Government failings.

She has called for the UK to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), but her successor, James Cleverly, has previously advised against doing so. No10 said this was not among options he laid out to fellow Cabinet members in the event of the Rwanda scheme being found unlawful.

In a joint statement, Braverman loyalists Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, who chair the New Conservatives group, said: "Whatever the outcome of tomorrow’s judgement on the Rwanda policy, we remain of the view that the UK should reform our domestic human rights and equalities laws and leave the European Convention on Human Rights."

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They said they also plan to raise cash and recruit members to their cause. Campaigners have voiced hopes that if the Supreme Court finds against the Government, it will torpedo the Rwanda scheme for good.

Lawyers representing people facing deportation argue Rwanda is an "authoritarian, one-party state" with a "woefully deficient" asylum system.

In June the Court of Appeal ruled it was unlawful as Rwanda couldn't be considered a safe country, prompting the Government to launch a costly legal appeal.

Sile Reynolds, head of asylum advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said: "The stakes of the upcoming Rwanda judgment couldn’t be any higher – everyday in our therapy rooms we see the terror that this plan inflicts on survivors of torture who have fled unimaginable horrors and are trying to rebuild their lives in the UK.

"With the departure of Suella Braverman, we’re calling on the new Home Secretary to seize this opportunity to scrap this dirty deal with Rwanda and to deliver a more compassionate approach to those seeking sanctuary in this country.

“Threatening to abandon the European Convention on Human Rights if the Supreme Court rules the Rwanda scheme unlawful will only serve to weaken the human rights that protect us all. For too long the demonisation of refugees has been used as a tactic to distract us from a cost-of-living crisis and crumbling public services. It’s time to draw a line in the sand and abandon the politics of hate and division.”

But ministers are weighing up ways of making it happen regardless of Wednesday's outcome.

These include withdrawing protection under the Human Rights Act from people who reach the UK by irregular means such as small boats.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said: "We must ensure the Rwanda policy succeeds before the next general election. No ifs, no buts, we will do whatever it takes to ensure that happens."

In April Mr Cleverly all but ruled out leaving the ECHR, saying he did not want to join the likes of Russia and Belarus as outliers.

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He said: “European countries which are not part of the ECHR is a small club. I am not convinced it is a club we want to be part of.”

Mr Sunak is facing widespread anger from Tory members over Ms Braverman's sacking.

Leaked WhatsApp messages sent by members of the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) show the move was described as "political suicide", with one activist saying: "The Cabinet is pretty much the exact opposite of what we voted for in 2019."

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Dave Burke