Boris Johnson joins Tory calls to leave European
convention on human rights to remove asylum seekers – UK politics live
Latest updates: Rishi Sunak refuses to say
whether he will withdraw UK from deal as MP proposes bill to remove asylum
seekers
Andrew
Sparrow
@AndrewSparrow
Wed 14 Dec
2022 09.43 GMT
21m ago
09.30 GMT
Good
morning. As the old saying goes, “there’s no pleasing some people” – or Tory
Brexiters.
Rishi Sunak
got a good reception from Conservative MPs, and the Fleet Street wing of the
party, for the plans he unveiled yesterday to deal with small boat crossings,
including legislation next year that would ban people who arrive illegally in
the UK from applying for asylum. But after PMQs the Tory MP Jonathan Gullis
will propose his asylum seekers (removal to safe countries) bill under the
10-minute rule procedure, a Commons rule that allows a backbencher to argue for
a bill with a 10-minute speech in the middle of proceedings, even though it has
almost no chance of becoming law.
The bill
would allow the government to remove asylum seekers even if that is against the
European convention on human rights, or other international law.
Why does
that matter? Because when Sunak proposed his new legislation in the Commons
yesterday, he refused to say whether he was willing to withdraw the UK from the
European convention on human rights if that turned out to be the only means by
which he could actually do what he said he wanted to do.
This is what
some Tory Brexiters want (including Suella Braverman, the home secretary, who
told the Tory conference that she personally favoured withdrawal from the
EHCR). But other Tories regard the prospect with horror (not least because it
would blow up the Good Friday agreement, which is based on the UK remaining
party to the convention), and in his statement to MPs yesterday Sunak
repeatedly dodged questions about whether he was prepared, if necessary, to
withdraw from the convention, or other international treaties protecting the
rights of refugees.
The Gullis
bill will not become law. But MPs do sometimes vote on 10-minute rule motion,
and it is thought there will be a vote today. Even if Gullis were to lose (as
is likely), a division could enable him to show how many Tory MPs there are who
support him – and who, by implication, want to see Sunak toughen his line on
asylum still further.
And two of
his backers are highly significant. Boris Johnson, the former PM, and Priti
Patel, the former home secretary, are co-sponsors of the bill. Gullis told
TalkTV last night that Johnson was “very pleased to back a bill that actually
enacted what he and Priti had been working on side by side”.
Other
co-sponsors of the bill reportedly include Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries and
Tim Loughton.
Here is the
agenda for the day.
9.45am: Sir
Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, gives evidence to the
Commons home affairs committee.
12pm: Rishi
Sunak faces Keir Starmer at PMQs.
After
12.30pm: The Tory MP Jonathan Gullis presents a 10-minute rule bill that would
allow the government to remove asylum seekers even if that is against the
European convention on human rights, or other international law.
Afternoon:
The King visits parliament.
4.15pm:
Dominic Raab, the justice secretary and deputy PM, gives evidence to the joint
committee on human rights on the bill of rights.
I try to
monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them
all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m
more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions and, if they are of
general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL),
although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want
to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on
@AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively,
you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário