Rwanda’s president has offered to refund the hundreds of millions of pounds received from the UK as Rishi Sunak’s asylum plan lies in tatters.
The prime minister is braced for further Tory revolts as Conservative MPs stepped up criticism of the legislation.
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick is pushing changes aimed at overriding the Human Rights Act and explicitly stating that emergency injunctions from European judges can be ignored.
In an attempt to avert another damaging rebellion, the Government is considering giving advice to officials that they would not necessarily have to comply with the so-called “pyjama injunctions” from the European Court of Human Rights.
Allies of Mr Sunak have insisted there is only an “inch” between party colleagues, despite two deputy party chairmen and a ministerial aide quitting their posts to join a 60-strong Tory rebellion in the Commons on Tuesday night.
Further rebellions are expected on proposed amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill, but ministers hope Conservatives will pull back from the nuclear option of voting against the legislation as a whole at its final Commons hurdle on Wednesday night.
Paul Kagame, meanwhile, has also moved to distance the country from the success of the project, saying it is “not Rwanda’s problem” whether or not the PM’s flagship deportation policy is successful.
No asylum seekers have yet been sent to the African country, with Sunak insistent that his legislation will help the first deportation flights get off the ground.
Assked by the BBC, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, why his country was taking millions of pounds of UK money without taking any asylum seekers, Kagame replied: “It’s only going to be used if those people will come.”
The Rwanda president added: “If they don’t come, we can return the money.”
Mr Kagame did not clarify how much of the money he would return, or when. Asked by the BBC about the current political and legal obstacles around the deal with his country, Kagame said that it was “not Rwanda’s problem”.
“Ask the UK – it is the UK’s problem, not Rwanda’s problem”, he said.
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