Ousting Rishi Sunak would be ‘insanity’, Tories told, as Rwanda Commons defeat looms

Given the political significance of stopping small boats carrying migrants from crossing the English Channel – one of Mr Sunak’s five pledges in office – some Tories have linked the debate over the Bill to the future of his leadership.

However, Mr Holden, a supporter of Mr Sunak, called on his Tory colleagues to show unity, saying at one point: “I hope that they understand that actually the enemy is not within, the enemy is out there.

“The only way to victory is if we get out there and fight for it, fight for people’s votes and show them we’re on their side. I think if we’re introspective, we all know that divided parties don’t win elections.”

Dame Andrea Jenkyns is the only Tory MP to have announced she has submitted a no confidence letter to the 1922 committee. To trigger a formal no confidence vote in Mr Sunak, 53 Tory MPs must submit such a letter.

The emergency legislation, called the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, declares Rwanda a safe country and disapplies the Human Rights Act in regards to the deportation scheme.

It also states that ministers have the ability to block so-called “pyjama injunctions” issued by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, grounding Rwanda flights.

Mr Sunak pointed to the Rwandan government’s recent statement saying it would not take part in any “unlawful” scheme to argue that the Tory Right’s demand to ignore the European Convention on Human Rights would not work.

The Prime Minister said: “For the people who say you should do something different, the difference between them and me is an inch, given everything that we have closed. We’re talking about an inch. But that inch, by the way, is the difference between the Rwandans participating in this scheme and not.

“It’s pretty clear that what we’re doing is not only the right approach, it’s the only approach. I’m determined to actually fix this problem, and the people who want to do something else clearly don’t.”