UK PM Sunak faces major test in showdown over Rwanda asylum plan
World
The Conservative rebels will now have to decide whether to back down or join forces with opposition
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a major parliamentary showdown on Wednesday over his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, with some of his lawmakers threatening to rebel after they lost an initial bid to toughen the proposed law.
The government comfortably defeated attempts to strengthen the bill late on Tuesday that had been backed by almost a fifth of lawmakers from Sunak's Conservative Party in what was the biggest rebellion yet against the British prime minister.
But he only won because most opposition parties voted against the rebels, whose action to try to toughen the legislation and close what they say are loopholes, has again exposed deep divisions in the governing party.
The Conservative rebels will now have to decide whether to back down or join forces with opposition parties to try to defeat the government at the law's final stage in the lower house of parliament, known as a third reading.
In an election year when the Conservatives are badly trailing the opposition Labour Party in the polls, some of those lawmakers who voted for the changes to the legislation might ultimately vote in favour to avoid being criticised by voters.
The government confidently predicted it would win the vote, despite one senior rebel lawmaker saying the scale of Tuesday's rebellion had given the group confidence it could defeat the government.
"We will get it through, but I'm going to listen respectfully to my colleagues this afternoon," said Michael Tomlinson, illegal immigration minister, adding that Sunak had promised to recruit more judges to process any asylum appeals.
VICTORY AT A COST
But any government victory will come at a cost - Sunak has lost two Conservative deputy chairmen over his refusal to compromise and party divisions have only deepened.
Labour leader Keir Starmer used parliament's prime minister's questions to ridicule Sunak over his Rwanda plan, accusing the government of spending "hundreds of millions of pounds on a removals policy that doesn't remove anyone".
The government says it has paid 240 million pounds ($304 million) to Rwanda so far, and no asylum seekers have been sent there.
Starmer's words seemed designed to fire up the rebels, some of whom are still hoping to inflict a government defeat, with one senior Conservative lawmaker saying: "Last night's numbers speak for themselves."
Defeat would be a huge embarrassment for Sunak and would severely weaken his authority over his party, possibly leading to the party's third leadership election in less than two years.
But several more centrist Conservative lawmakers said the rebels would not be able to command the numbers needed for defeat, fearful of the wrath of voters before an election Sunak has said he expects will be held in the second half of the year.
Sunak has made stopping arrivals of asylum seekers crossing over from France on small boats a central aim of his government.
Most of them say they are fleeing wars in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and the majority of arrivals in the last five years whose cases have been completed have been given refugee status.
But the British government says about 90% making the journey are men and many are economic migrants rather than genuine refugees.
