Robert Jenrick, the British Minister of Immigration, left the Cabinet of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak due to “strong disagreements” with the government’s deportation of illegal migrants from Rwanda.
Up until recently, Jenrick was considered a Sunak ally. On Wednesday, he expressed his opinion that the emergency legislation put forth by his employer, Home Secretary James Cleverly, in a parliamentary statement, did not go far enough to put an end to the “merry-go-round of legal challenges.”
Sunak expressed his disappointment in his resignation, but he also stated that it was “based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation” for him to step down.
It is with great sadness that I have written to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as Minister for Immigration.
I cannot continue in my position when I have such strong disagreements with the direction of the Government’s policy on immigration. pic.twitter.com/Zg3ezFJr8t
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) December 6, 2023
“After being absent from the front bench during questions in the House of Commons, I have decided to resign from my position as Minister for Immigration, effective immediately,” Jenrick wrote in a post on X.
“I cannot continue in my position when I have such strong disagreements with the direction of the government’s policy on immigration,” he stated. Jenrick stated that the government should prioritize “national interests above highly contested interpretations of international law” since small boat crossings across the English Channel were causing “untold damage” to the nation.
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In his letter of resignation to Sunak on Wednesday, he stated, “I have therefore consistently advocated for a clear piece of legislation that severely limits the opportunities for domestic and foreign courts to block or undermine the effectiveness of the policy.”
“A bill of the kind you are proposing is a triumph of hope over experience,” he said. Sunak said that the new law will be “the toughest piece of illegal migration legislation ever put forward by a UK government” in response.
“The entire plan would fall apart if we were to remove the courts completely. The Rwandan government has made it apparent that it will not put up with the UK basing this plan on laws that might be construed as violating our commitments under international law,” he stated.
“There would be no point in passing a law that would leave us with nowhere to send people to,” Sunak stated. At a time when Sunak is polishing his general election pitch for 2024, the move represents a significant upset for him. In response, the Labour Party in opposition referred to the Conservatives as leading a “chaotic” government.
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Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden stated, “The British people deserve a government that will fix the issues that matter to working people, not a Tory circus of gimmicks and leadership posturing.” On Thursday, the Safety of Rwanda Bill is scheduled to be formally introduced in the House of Commons. The Home Office says it would categorically declare Rwanda to be safe against international and UK law.
In a statement, Sunak stated, “We will control our borders, deter people taking dangerous journeys across the channel, and end the continuous legal challenges filling our courts through this new landmark emergency legislation.”
“And to make sure our plan cannot be thwarted, we will disapply sections of the Human Rights Act from the most important portions of the Bill, particularly in the case of Rwanda.” He stated, “Today we are ending the tactics used by people to cheat the system and betray the British people. We have moved quickly to remedy the issues raised by the Supreme Court, proving that Rwanda is not just a safe country but a modern, prosperous nation.”
This comes after Cleverly visited Kigali on Tuesday and inked a new agreement with Dr. Vincent Biruta, the minister of foreign affairs for Rwanda. In an effort to dissuade people traffickers from transporting illegal migrants to the UK, the UK intends to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda while their asylum claims are being processed.
