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Evening Standard

World

Tamara Davison

All the MPs rebelling over Sunak's Rwanda bill as two senior Tories quit

Democratic Unionist party Rwanda John Redwood Lee Anderson Robert Jenrick Brendan ClarkeSmith Edward Leigh Adam Afriyie Adam Holloway Andrew Bridgen

Rishi Sunak is facing a major rebellion that's already prompted two resignations among senior Tory staff.

Two deputy chairmen, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, stepped down to vote for amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill that was being debated on Tuesday (January 17).

Anderson told GB News after resigning: “I don’t think I could carry on in my role when I fundamentally disagree with the Bill. I can’t be in a position to vote for something I don’t believe in.”

The Safety of Rwanda Bill will likely undergo its third reading in the Commons this evening after several proposed amendments failed to pass.

Although the Bill was previously approved by a majority of 44 in December 2023, another majority isn't guaranteed in an upcoming vote.

That's because more than 60 Tory MPs backed amendments this week that would have made the bill considerably stricter.

Sir Bill Cash and Robert Jenrick proposed a string of amendments on Tuesday. No amendment gained approval, but support for them signals brewing discontent in the Conservative Party.

If the Tory rebels fail to align in the face of the third reading, Sunak's bill could be scuppered after today's vote.

The bill's ultimate goal is to send asylum seekers and economic migrants arriving in the UK to Rwanda. However, some right-learning Tory members have argued that the law should be tougher to achieve the desired results.

Sunak has been balancing a fine line, attempting to appease both the hard right and more centrist party members concerned about the rule of law and the country's international obligations.

Which MPs are rebelling against the Rwanda bill?

Sunak's Rwanda Bill is likely set to face its third reading in the Commons (Jessica Taylor / UK Parliament / AFP via Getty Images)

Here's all the MPs who backed last night's amendments.

Sir Bill Cash's amendment: 529 to 68 votes

Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)

Lee Anderson (Conservative - Ashfield)

Sarah Atherton (Conservative - Wrexham)

Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)

Jake Berry (Conservative - Rossendale and Darwen)

Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)

Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)

Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham)

Jack Brereton (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent South)

Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)

Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)

William Cash (Conservative - Stone)

Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Simon Clarke (Conservative - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)

Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)

Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)

Sarah Dines (Conservative - Derbyshire Dales)

Jeffrey M Donaldson (Democratic Unionist Party - Lagan Valley)

Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)

James Duddridge (Conservative - Rochford and Southend East) (Proxy vote cast by Marcus Jones)

Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)

Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)

Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)

Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)

Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)

James Grundy (Conservative - Leigh)

Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

Darren Henry (Conservative - Broxtowe)

Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)

Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)

Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)

Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)

Robert Jenrick (Conservative - Newark)

Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)

David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)

Danny Kruger (Conservative - Devizes)

Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)

Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)

Marco Longhi (Conservative - Dudley North)

Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)

Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet) (Proxy vote cast by John Redwood)

Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)

Robin Millar (Conservative - Aberconwy)

Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)

Jill Mortimer (Conservative - Hartlepool)

Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)

Lia Nici (Conservative - Great Grimsby)

Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)

Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)

Tom Randall (Conservative - Gedling)

John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)

Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Gary Sambrook (Conservative - Birmingham, Northfield)

Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)

Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)

Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Elizabeth Truss (Conservative - South West Norfolk)

Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)

Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Robert Jenrick's amendment: 525 to 58 votes