If the five pledges on which Rishi Sunak has pinned Conservative hopes of re-election were already looking shaky, the appeal court ruling on the government’s Rwanda asylum policy is a major setback ahead of a general election that must take place before January 2025.
With promises to halve inflation this year, reduce national debt and shorten NHS waiting lists all in doubt, his “stop the boats” pledge is now bereft of the supposed deterrent effect of being able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed.
