The government has won a narrow victory in the vote on its Rwanda bill this evening. The Conservative party’s flagship legislation made it through its second reading stage in the House of Commons by 313 votes to 269, a majority of 44. However, many MPs on the right of the party abstained in the hopes of amending the bill in the new year.
It was a dramatic day in Westminster. Last night the rumour mill had been in overdrive with speculation about the potential Tory rebellion that would vote against the government. As a result, some of these potential rebels from the New Conservatives caucus, including Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, were invited to breakfast at No. 10. In a joint op-ed in the Telegraph, Cates and Kruger outlined their frustration with the amended bill: “At its core the bill fails to establish the sovereignty of the United Kingdom parliament over immigration policy”.
