Robert Jenrick says he won’t vote for Rwanda immigration bill

       Rishi Sunak has suffered his biggest Tory MP rebellion in the Commons since becoming Prime Minister, after 60 voted for a rebel amendment on his flagship Rwanda Bill.

       Robert Jenrick and Sir Bill Cash led the charge, encouraging dozens of Tory MPs to join them in dealing a major blow to Mr Sunak's authority.

       In the first of numerous votes set to come this evening, the swathe of rebels backed Sir Bill's amendment, aimed at preventing any international law, including the ECHR, from being considered in future legal cases against the Rwanda policy.

       Tory deputy chairmen Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith shocked Westminster at 6pm, resigning from their roles in order to back the rebellion.

       Jane Stevenson, a PPS to Kemi Badenoch, also voted for the rebel amendment, signalling her resignation from the Government.

       She said: "I don't consider my votes to have been anti-Govt, but they do warrant resignation. In the Chamber earlier I paid tribute to Rishi Sunak's work so far & welcomed his commitment made in Rome in Dec to lead talks on global frameworks."

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       Mr Sunak accepted the resignations of Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke-Smith on Tuesday night.

       A Downing Street source said: "The PM accepts their resignation and thanks both Lee and Brendan for their dedication and hard work for the Conservative Party.

       “This is the toughest legislation ever brought before Parliament to tackle illegal migration.

       “This Bill will make it clear that if you come here illegally you will not be able to stay. We must pass this Bill to deliver what all Conservatives want – a credible plan to stop the boats.”

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       Tory rebels included former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Robrt Jenrick and ex Prime Minister Liz Truss. Mr Jenrick quit as immigration minister in December over Mr Sunak’s approach.

       Former cabinet minister David Jones and former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg also defied the Government.

       Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, co-chairmen of the New Conservatives group, also rebelled against the Government.

       Ms Cates said she was “prepared” to vote down the Rwanda Bill at third reading tomorrow.

       Asked if she would oppose the legislation entirely, she said: “Well I am prepared to, but I can only speak for myself. Twenty-four hours is a long time in politics.

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       Earlier today the Chief Whip Simon Hart delivered an ultimatum to wavering Tory MPs considering backing the rebel amendments.

       The Express understands Mr Hart made clear that any member of the payroll that doesn’t support the Government this evening will have made their position untenable.

       Among the backers for Sir Bill Cash's amendment were senior Tory MPs including Sir Simon Clarke, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Mark Francois, Sir Christopher Chope, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Sir Edward Leigh and Sir James Duddridge.

       In full, 60 Tory MPs backed the rebellion, and were joined with eight DUP MPs and two independent MPs - former Tories Scott Benton and Andrew Bridgen.

       More votes on amendments are set to come this evening, before the final Third Reading vote on the Bill tomorrow.

       The key legislation is being presented as a make-or-break opportunity for Mr Sunak to get illegal migration under control and stop the boats ahead of the General Election.

       Many of the rebels, who argue the legislation isn't tough enough to succeed crossings, warn any further failures to deport migrants will only contribute to the Tories' potential election bruising.

       How your MP voted on Rwanda Bill as Sunak suffers major Tory MP rebellion

       Two big Tory names resign moments before Rwanda rebel amendment vote unfolds

       Tory rebel Mark Francois said “the numbers speak for themselves” when asked if he would vote against the Bill in the crunch third reading in the Commons on Wednesday.

       He said: “I hope very much that the Government will listen and as a result of this… that the Government will listen and take stock and that perhaps there will be some possibility of tightening the Bill… tomorrow.

       “The numbers speak for themselves.”

       He did not rule out voting against the Government tomorrow, saying "let's see what happens".

       There have been suggestions Mr Sunak could pull the Rwanda vote if he thinks the Government could fail in its flagship legislation.

       Mr Kruger joined the ranks of MPs insisting they are prepared to vote against Rwanda Bill at third reading, but adds that "we are not there yet".

       Veteran Tory MP Sir John Hayes also failed to rule out voting against the Rwanda Bill at the third reading.

       He said: "There's more debate tomorrow. The government still has a chance to accept what we’ve been arguing".

       Sir John echoed Mr Francois' words, saying: “The numbers tonight speak for themselves.”

       Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg who was among 60 rebelling MPs on Tuesday night (Image: Getty)

       Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the rebellion has not damaged Mr Sunak’s position as leader.

       He believes the party is a “democracy” and “coalition of views”, adding: “All party leaders have to deal with that in their own way and Rishi Sunak does that in a courteous and intelligent way.”

       Asked if the rebellion has damaged the Prime Minister’s position as leader, Sir Jacob said: “Not this particular discussion, no.”

       Sir Jacob said: “I think it shows that there is very strong support within the Conservative Party for toughening up the Bill.

       “I think the Government has responded to that. I would hope that it would go further. There is an opportunity for it to do so tomorrow.”

       The Conservative former cabinet minister said he has not yet made up his mind on how he would vote on the Bill’s third reading, saying: “I think amendments and the Bill itself are different questions because there are good bits of the Bill and it’s a Bill that could be improved with amendments.

       “That doesn’t mean that the rest of the Bill is fundamentally bad.

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       “People haven’t decided how they are voting on third reading, but the amendments aren’t necessarily indicative, they are indicative of what people would like to do and there is a decision to be made tomorrow when we see what more the Government does, what other amendments are voted on, as to whether or not the Bill is good enough for people to give it majority support.”

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