Harrogate MP reveals thinking on PM's 'small boats' bill as key Rwanda vote looms for Rishi Sunak

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, who has made plain his support for Rishi Sunak since the Partygate scandal threw the Tory Party into chaos, said the Rwanda bill should not be seen in isolation from the Government’s wider approach to immigration.

But, in a sign of the legal and political complexities of the Prime Minister’s flagship ‘stop the boats’ policy aimed at overcoming legal hurdles to sending migrants to Africa, Mr Jones is not yet stating his position on the vote in the House of Commons.

“We should not think of the Rwanda bill in isolation," said Mr Jones.

"It is part of a number of measures designed to deter people from making the dangerous journey across the English Channel.

"Among these measures are new returns agreements with Albania, enhanced deals with the French authorities, greater support for asylum application processing and more besides.

"These measures have led to crossings coming down by a third this year already.“I will be looking closely at the bill and any amendments which might be selected for debate by the Speaker.”

Today as the Prime Minister is questioned on his 'Eat Out to Help Out' policy by Hugo Keith KC in the Covid inquiry, a gathering of different forces among Conservative MPs will discuss how to react to the PM's Rwanda bill.

The five groups of Tory MPs are meeting in the Palace of Westminster: The European Research Group, The New Conservatives, The Conservative Growth Group, The Common Sense Group and The Northern Research Group.

Robert Jenrick MP, who resigned from his role as immigration minister last week, has said Rishi Sunak is making "a political choice" to revive Rwanda asylum scheme in a way that is doomed to failure.

But Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is urging MPs to back the new law, claiming that it would prevent most attempts in the courts to avoid being sent to the African nation, after Home Office modelling suggested the majority of cases would fail on appeal.

But Harrogate’s MP is focused on how to tackle the criminal gangs bringing migrants across The Channel in small boats.

"When considering those amendments my thoughts will be about how we break the people smuggling gangs and, most importantly, how we stop the grim certainty of more fatalities in our coastal waters," said Andrew Jones

"This issue is not confined to the UK; we see it again and again in the Mediterranean, too.

"Breaking these gangs requires an international effort and I know we are working closely with partners on how this is done to the best effect.”

A major rebellion in the House of Commons tomorrow, Tuesday could sink one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's main policies and see the Tory Party returning to the sort of turmoil that has saw three different leaders and Prime Ministers last year.

Labour and opposition parties have already said they will try and vote the bill down.