ROBERT Jenrick QUIT as Immigration Minister tonight just hours after Rishi Sunak unveiled emergency legislation to get Rwanda deportation flights off the ground.
The government was plunged into chaos as darling of the right Mr Jenrick decided the PM’s plan for illegal migrants won’t work.
AlamyRobert Jenrick QUIT as Immigration Minister tonight, plunging the government into chaos[/caption]
He wanted the new Rwanda Bill to include an opt out of European human rights laws – but the idea was rejected by Mr Sunak.
Mr Jenrick has not yet published a resignation letter, but Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed in the Commons chamber that the MP for Newark has stood down.
The PM tonight unveiled the “toughest immigration legislation ever” which will also give him the power to overrule meddling European judges.
His Safety and Rwanda bill comes alongside yesterday’s new treaty with the hope of starting the first removals by next spring.
Heading off a Tory row over the bill, Mr Sunak tonight told his MPs they must “unite or die”.
The plan will disapply elements of the Human Rights Act which would have exposed the government to more relentless legal delay.
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By also declaring in law that Rwanda is “safe”, ministers believe courts will be forced to throw out any challenges to their flagship scheme.
The bill will also let ministers override European Court of Human Rights edicts to block planes from taking off, like the one grounded at the last minute in 2022.
Home Secretary James Cleverly was also unable to guarantee the plan would not breach the ECHR.
While the package will likely anger centrist Tory MPs, Mr Sunak tonight insisted it was necessary to crack the migrant crisis.
The PM said: “I have been unequivocal that we can no longer tolerate the endless scourge of illegal migration on our country.
“It is costing us billions of pounds and costing innocent lives, and that is why we are taking action to put a stop to it and make clear once and for all that it is Parliament that should decide who comes to this country, not criminal gangs.
“Through this new landmark emergency legislation, we will control our borders, deter people taking perilous journeys across the channel and end the continuous legal challenges filling our courts.
“And we will disapply sections of the Human Rights Act from the key parts of the Bill, specifically in the case of Rwanda, to ensure our plan cannot be stopped.”
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