Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick are believed to have jointly introduced “Plan B”; Rishi Sunak ahead of this week's Supreme Court decision Photo: Eddie Mulholland
Robert Jenrick has backed Suella Braverman's hard-line plan in Rwanda to ensure deportation flights begin before next year's general election, The Telegraph reports.
Ms Braverman outlined a five-point plan to break the impasse over the policy in an article for The Telegraph on Thursday, which included rolling back European and British human rights laws. >According to The Telegraph, she previously outlined four of the five points of the “Plan B” that she and Mr Jenrick, the immigration secretary, jointly presented to Rishi Sunak before the Supreme Court ruled this week that the plan was unlawful.< /p>
It is reported that Mr Jenrick, who holds a cabinet seat, is now insisting on a “belt and suspenders” approach to emergency legislation announced by Mr Sunak on Wednesday, which would declare Rwanda safe and ban anyone file a lawsuit against the politician as a whole.
It is believed that around half a dozen cabinet ministers would support a tougher stance, ignoring European and human rights laws on illegal migration.
Dozens of Tory MPs have also written to Mr Sunak calling for a ban on migrants using human rights laws to blocking their deportation to Rwanda.
But No 10 is still rebuffing calls from Ms Braverman and the right. Conservative MPs go further, warning that expanding the scope of the new law will create more opportunities for opponents to challenge it and delay it.
Announcing the legislation in on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said he would be willing to return to “foreign affairs” but only if human rights concerns arise after Parliament passes emergency legislation.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “We understand that a broader and more complex approach may take longer.
“Our priority is to stop the boats, establish a partnership with Rwanda and start flying. And we believe that our targeted approach, which specifically addresses the issues raised by the Supreme Court, is the fastest way to achieve them.”
In an interview with The Telegraph on Monday, Jenrick warned that the government will not achieve its goal to stop ships “completely” for the next election without flights to Rwanda, which would deter migrants from crossing the English Channel.
Asked whether withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights was part of the government's Plan B if it lost the case, Mr Jenrick said: “It was clear to me that we had to do everything possible.”
The Prime Minister's deal is expected to be published next week, with emergency legislation due to be passed “in the coming weeks”.
Although the law prohibits anyone from bringing legal action against the policy as a whole, individual migrants will still be able to challenge deportation using human rights law and other domestic and international law.
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In his five-point plan, d Ms Braverman called for the “entirety” of the Human Rights Act, the European Convention on Human Rights and other relevant laws or obligations, including the Refugee Convention, to be abandoned in relation to irregular migrants through “notwithstanding” clauses.
< p>She also proposed new laws to reduce the time it takes for illegal migrants to leave the UK, as well as automatic detention without appeal before deportation.
No 10 on Friday refused to rule out the possibility of Parliament sitting during the Christmas break to speed up new legislation – a proposal put forward by Ms. Braverman in her article.
Meanwhile, Mr Sunak rejected Ms Braverman's claims that he was “tinkering” with the scheme in Rwanda. He expressed confidence that the passage of the emergency law would not take “much time” through parliament and that the conclusion of a new agreement with Rwanda would be enough to begin the removal of migrants.
The Prime Minister also said he would crack down on anyone who stood in the way of the policy, warning that the public's patience with the “merry-go-round” of legal action was “wearing thin”.
“People see that I want to do this, but in order to complete the job, we need to launch Rwanda,” he said.
“We can pass these laws in parliament, which will give us the necessary powers and tools. Then we can stop the flying, and whether the House of Lords or the Labor Party stands in our way, I will take it on because I want it done and I want to stop the boats.”
< p>Damian Green, the former deputy prime minister, accused Ms Braverman of wanting to act like a dictator with her alternative hardline agenda.
He said her proposals to introduce legislation that would block deportation appeals from Rwanda, were “deeply unconservative,” adding: “Conservatives believe in a democratic country governed by the rule of law. And dictators Xi and Putin would prefer that the state be completely exempt from any laws. And therefore, as a democrat, I am against this.”
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