Rwanda deal to be rewritten to allow deportations if judges rule scheme unlawful

Downing Street has maintained that the Government can meet its pledge to stop the boats within its international obligations but will face a clamour from some 50 to 60 backbenchers to quit the ECHR if the Supreme Court rejects its case.

Responding to Mrs Braverman’s letter on Wednesday, Sir Edward Leigh said: “You cannot detain people who land on our shores if you remain in the refugee convention and the ECHR.

“Sooner or later we’re going to have to bite this bullet and leave these two conventions. This decision has got to be made very soon and I suspect this is what Suella has been pushing for for the last year.”

In an interview with the Telegraph on Monday, Mr Jenrick refused to rule out the possibility of quitting the ECHR. When asked if the UK would leave, he said: “I’ve been clear that we have to do whatever it takes.”

He said for the first time that the Government’s aim was to “stop the boats in their entirety” by the next election. But he admitted that it would not achieve this goal without the prospect of Rwanda flights to deter Channel crossings by migrants.

Mr Sunak is, however, said to be “allergic” to the idea of quitting the ECHR, amid concerns that it could damage UK trade and diplomatic relations with key partners in Europe and the US.

When Foreign Secretary, Mr Cleverly said he was “not convinced” that leaving the ECHR was necessary to ensure the immigration system was robust, and that the UK had the clout to push for changes if needed.

“European countries which are not part of the ECHR is a small club. I am not convinced it is a club we want to be part of,” he said. “That is not suggesting that the interpretation of human rights by judges is something I think has worked well.”

It is thought Mr Sunak would prefer to push for international agreement on reforming the ECHR and Refugee Convention as countries such as Germany, Italy and Austria consider Rwanda-style schemes.