Rishi Sunak deploys Lord Cameron to peel off Tory rebels as PM frantically tries to save his Rwanda plan – but Tory Right’s ‘Star Chamber’ concludes new laws are not fit for purpose

Rishi Sunak has tasked David Cameron with trying to fight off Tory rebels as he proposes to try to salvage his Rwanda plan.

The Prime Minister is facing a Conservative rebellion over emergency legislation he drafted to try to get migrants into the African country by air.

His proposal to restart the Kigali asylum scheme, which already costs £290 million, despite not sending a single person to Rwanda, is under threat from various factions in his party.

In a new blow to Mr Sunak, the Tory right’s “Star Chamber” of legal advisers has concluded that Rwanda’s legislation is not fit for purpose.

Sir Bill Cash, a Brexit veteran who led the legal review of the new laws, made it clear that the Prime Minister’s law was not “sufficiently watertight”.

The prime minister is facing a Conservative rebellion over emergency legislation he drafted to try to get migrant flights to Rwanda off the ground.

Rishi Sunak has tasked David Cameron with trying to beat back the Tory rebels as he proposes to try to salvage his Rwanda plan.

Sir Bill Cash, a Brexit veteran who led the legal review of the new laws, made it clear that the Prime Minister’s law was not “sufficiently watertight”.

Suella Braverman rejects PM’s claim he cannot go ahead with new Rwandan laws due to Kigali’s objections

Suella Braverman has questioned Rishi Sunak’s “rather bizarre claim” that further emergency laws would lead to the “collapse” of the plan in Rwanda.

The Prime Minister said Kigali would abandon the migration agreement if there was a risk that it would be found to violate international law obligations.

But Ms Braverman, who was sacked by Mr Sunak as home secretary last month, told the Sunday Telegraph: “I have been to Rwanda several times and have spoken a lot with the Rwandan government.

“It has never caused any problems like this.”

According to Sunday Times, Lord Cameron spoke to Sir Bill for 45 minutes on Friday afternoon as part of a major No 10 lobbying operation to try to avoid defeat in a vote on the bill in the House of Commons.

The newspaper said the Foreign Secretary is one of several ministers trying to shake off Tory rebels threatening to withdraw support for emergency laws when the first key vote takes place on Tuesday.

Downing Street is also working with moderate Conservatives who are concerned that legislation designed to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling that the migration scheme was illegal may not comply with Britain’s obligations under international law.

In an article in SunTwo leading right-wing Tory MPs have warned they may not be able to support the Prime Minister’s plans.

Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, who lead the New Conservative group, hit out at Mr Sunak’s claim that the Tories must “unite or die”.

They wrote: “The main thing is that we came together in the right place: where the audience is. There is no point in uniting around policies that don’t work.

“So we’ll just unite and die. The fundamental question surrounding the small court crisis is: who is in charge of our country?

“Is it parliament, the representatives of the people, or is it lawyers and judges interpreting what they consider to be ‘customary international law’?”

The first vote on Rwandan legislation is due to take place in a crucial week for Mr Sunak, who is also due to face a Covid inquiry tomorrow.

Labor will force its MPs to vote against the legislation, meaning a revolt by just 28 Tories could deal a humiliating defeat to Mr Sunak’s government.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party has accused the Tories of “begging for our votes” to pass legislation that will help revive their £290 million Rwanda “stunt”.

Asked on Sky News this morning whether the Government had the votes to pass new Rwandan legislation, Uplift Minister Michael Gove replied: “We’ll see.”

“I know Sir Bill was consulted during the drafting of the Bill and the contents of the Bill reflect many of the wise things we have said.”

He added: “We’ll see what Sir Bill and the Star Chamber say. We take the views of colleagues seriously, especially distinguished colleagues like Sir Bill who have deep and deep legal experience.

“But we believe that this bill is tough and robust, and moreover, you can look, you can read the bill, compare it with the decision of the Supreme Court, and you will see that this bill ensures that all the reasons that were used in past to prevent reprisals against people traveling to Rwanda.”

Mr Gove also insisted the government was “not considering” calling a general election if the Rwandan bill was rejected.

“We are not considering this because I am sure that when people look at the legislation and have a chance to reflect, they will understand that this is a tough but at the same time proportionate measure,” he added.

Sir Bill wrote in Sunday Telegraph that the Star Chamber was considering whether the language of the Rwanda Security (Asylum and Immigration) Bill was “sufficiently watertight to meet the government’s policy objectives.”

“That’s not the case at this time,” he said. “Our report will, I hope, help the government decide whether the bill as it stands is fit for purpose or will require further amendment, even from the government itself.”

Mr Sunak’s efforts to prevent a revolt by Tory MPs against the legislation faced another challenge when it emerged a legal assessment gave him only “at best a 50%” chance of success in sending flights to Rwanda.