Rwanda bill – latest: Rishi Sunak pushes Tory MPs to back ‘stop the boats’ plan ahead of crunch vote
Prime minister faces mounting rebellion over flagship immigration policy
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Your support makes all the difference.Rishi Sunak is staging a last-ditch bid to win over right-wing Conservatives MPs threatening to defeat his Rwanda deportation legislation.
The PM faces a mounting rebellion over the flagship immigration policy, with Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith poised to back rebel amendments to the bill.
Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke-Smith said they would defy the Government by joining more than 60 Tory MPs who are seeking to disapply international law from the Bill and curtail asylum seekers’ rights to appeal against flights to Kigali.
But any attempt by Mr Sunak to placate them would be opposed by more moderate Tories, who are keen to protect the legislation against breaches of international law.
It comes as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has concluded after a legal assessment of the UK government’s new Rwanda bill that it’s not compatible with international law.
The UNHCR said the modified Rwanda scheme “does not meet the required standards relating to the legality and appropriateness of the transfer of asylum seekers and is not compatible with international refugee law”.
We’re pausing our updates for the day, thanks for following along.
Rishi Sunak hints at pre-election tax cut to win votes
Rishi Sunak has said there is “more to come” in terms of tax cuts as he prepares a pre-election bid to win votes.
The prime minister is plotting a tax giveaway in his March Budget, which could be the last before voters head to the polls this autumn.
Archie Mitchell reports:
Rishi Sunak hints at pre-election tax cut to win votes
The prime minister is plotting a tax giveaway in his March Budget, which could be the last before voters head to the polls this autumn
All Nicola Sturgeon’s pandemic WhatsApp messages deleted, Covid inquiry hears
All Nicola Sturgeon’s pandemic WhatsApp messages have been deleted, the Covid inquiry has heard.
At a hearing in Edinburgh, the official investigation into the crisis was told that the former first minister of Scotland had “retained no messages whatsoever”.
Kate Devlin reports:
All Nicola Sturgeon’s pandemic WhatsApp messages deleted, Covid inquiry hears
Ms Sturgeon had repeatedly refused to reveal whether she erased messages
Boris ally claims Sunak hit by ‘at least 29’ no-confidence letters from Tory MPs
A leading Boris Johnson supporter has claimed that “at least” 29 Conservative MPs have submitted letters of no-confidence against Rishi Sunak.
Andrea Jenkyns MP – the Tory backbencher who has been a consistent critic of Mr Sunak – said more than two dozen colleagues had told her they have handed in letters.
Adam Forrest reports:
Boris Johnson ally claims Sunak hit by ‘at least 29’ no-confidence letters
Right-wing rebel Andrea Jenkyns’s claim dismissed as ‘nonsense’ by Tory moderates
Listen: Mother tells Sadiq Khan she ‘can’t afford to buy food’ because of Ulez fees
Mother tells Sadiq Khan she ‘can’t afford to buy food’ because of Ulez fees
A mother told Sadiq Khan that she can't afford to feed herself and her daughter as Ulez has taken the money she had to buy essentials. Sarah, from Croydon, told the London Mayor that she had a no-fault eviction from her home which has since left her in “perpetual debt" and has to wait for payday just to buy milk. "Ulez [has] come and taken my money that I had to buy these things. Now I don't have anything," she added. Mr Khan responded: "We have got a housing crisis across the country. We are spending more money on benefits than bricks and mortar."
Sunak ‘determined’ to pass Rwanda Bill ahead of Lords showdown
Rishi Sunak has said he is “determined” to get his Rwanda legislation through Parliament, as ministers prepare for stiff resistance in the House of Lords to the flagship asylum policy.
Many peers have already expressed deep unease about the plan, with ministers braced for a battle with the Upper House over the Bill.
Dominic McGrath reports:
Sunak ‘determined’ to pass Rwanda Bill ahead of Lords showdown
Many peers have already expressed deep unease about the plan, with ministers braced for a battle with the Upper House over the Bill.
Editing of witness statements used to prosecute subpostmasters is ‘shameful and appalling’, Fujitsu boss says
Watch:
Fujitsu boss: Editing of witness statements to prosecute subpostmasters is ‘shameful’
Fujitsu boss Paul Patterson has described the editing of witness statements that were used to prosecute subpostmasters to defend the Horizon IT system as “shameful”. During Friday’s hearing (19 January), Mr Patterson said he was “surprised” that detail of bugs and errors was not included in the witness statements given by Fujitsu staff to the Post Office, and acknowledged he’d seen “some evidence” of editing of witness statements by others. Counsel to the inquiry Jason Beer KC then asked Mr Patterson how he would describe the editing out of bugs or “data integrity problems” in witness statements. Mr Patterson replied: “Shameful, appalling.”
Britain will be forced to rely on steel from India and China after Tata closures in Port Talbot
The closure of two blast furnaces at Britain’s biggest steelworks will lead to thousands of job losses and leave the UK reliant on foreign steel imports for years to come.
In a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak, as the UK teeters on the brink of recession, Tata Steel said it is cutting 2,800 jobs at its plant in Port Talbot, south Wales. It came as the steel giant confirmed it is closing both blast furnaces at the site.
Archie Mitchell and Alex Ross report:
Britain will be forced to rely on steel from India and China after Tata closures
The closures come despite Tata being promised up to £500m by the UK government in a bid to keep the plant open and produce steel in a greener way
Watch: Sunak laughs off mother pleading with him to fix NHS waiting lists for her daughter
Rishi Sunak has been captured laughing as he was challenged in the street by a woman who expressed her anger over dire NHS waiting lists.
Cameras caught the awkward exchange as the PM was confronted by voters in Winchester town centre about the state of the health service.
Adam Forrest reports:
Rishi Sunak laughs as shopper challenges him over NHS waits in awkward exchange
‘My daughter spent seven hours waiting’: PM confronted by woman in Winchester town centre
Tata statement - in full
In a statement, Tata said: “Tata Steel today announced it will commence statutory consultation as part of its plan to transform and restructure its UK business.
“This plan is intended to reverse more than a decade of losses and transition from the legacy blast furnaces to a more sustainable, green steel business.
“The transformation would secure most of Tata Steel UK’s existing product capability and maintain the country’s self-sufficiency in steelmaking, while also reducing Tata Steel UK’s CO2 emissions by five million tonnes per year and overall UK country emissions by about 1.5 per cent.”
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