James Sunderland, the PPS to the Home Secretary, has said he believes the Rwanda Bill will see illegal migrants deported to Rwanda and that the rebel amendments to toughen up the legislation are ‘a step too far.’
Speaking on GB News, he said:
“Well, first of all, I’m a member of the government, I’m a Home Office PPS, so it’s very important that I take the bill through and serve the government in that particular way.
“But also, I feel as though the amendments are probably one step too far.
“It’s really important that we put this bill through. The legislation is very significant, it’s very bold, it’s very ambitious. It’s the most significant bit of legislation we’ve done for many, many years and it should be enough to stop the boats.
“But to go further by breaking international law, or by refusing individuals the right to appeal. is one step too far for me.
“We’re a broad church, we are a collection of MPs who have different views on things. We are united behind the Prime Minister, but in this particular case, the views of those on the right of the party are pretty strong as well.
“We’ve listened to them, we’ve sat down with them. We’ve worked really closely with them over the last few weeks and the Prime Minister has taken the bill as far as he can in terms of the extent to which he’s able to give concessions.
“So he’s held firm today, he’s shown great leadership and the rebellion will fall away when it comes to the third reading.
“The scheme must work. We must stop the boats. That’s clear. I’ve supported the Rwanda bill all the way through.
“But today’s bit about legal argument, and my humble view is that if the Prime Minister and his government and the weight of lawyers at Number 10 think it is going to work, we have to trust them.
“The Prime Minister has made the decision. I’m a loyal party member. I am a member of the government. I have to vote with the government. It’s what I’ve done, it’s the right thing to do.”
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