UK’s Rishi Sunak survives knife-edge vote as Rwanda bill clears Commons
- The prime minister quelled party rebels to avoid a serious blow to his authority, but the bill faces further hurdles in parliament before it becomes law
- Sunak has staked his political future on a scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, as Britain gears up for its next general election
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak survived a key test of his leadership on Wednesday, fending off right-wing rebels to win a crunch parliamentary vote on his contentious plan to send migrants to Rwanda.
Sunak, in power since October 2022, has staked his political future on the scheme, as Britain gears up for its next general election later this year.
Right-wing Conservatives had threatened to kill the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, but they ultimately backed down and the government won comfortably by 320 votes to 276.
The result means Sunak avoids a serious weakening of his authority, as his faction-ridden party desperately needs to claw back support from the main opposition Labour party before the nationwide vote.
The bill is the British leader’s answer to a UK Supreme Court ruling late last year that deporting asylum seekers to Kigali is illegal under international law.
