Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote despite Tory rebellion
Rishi Sunak has won the vote on the Rwanda bill despite a mass rebellion by rightwing Conservative MPs.
MPs on Tuesday evening approved the Safety of Rwanda Bill at second reading by 313 votes to 269, majority 44.
It comes after Mark Francois MP, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), announced five separate groups of right-wing Conservative MPs said they could not support the bill, which would designate Rwanda as a safe country for asylum seekers.
The government also won on the first vote as Labour’s bid to block the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill at second reading was rejected by 337 votes to 269, majority 68.
The bid for Mr Sunak’s latest plan to “stop the boats” comes as it was confirmed that an asylum seeker died on the Bibby Stockholm barge, the accommodation used by the government to house migrants.
