The elephant in the room is that, unless something significant changes, it is unlikely that the Prime Minister will be able to see through any these plans.
The Home Secretary declared that “our country has become enmeshed international rules that were designed for another era. Labour turbocharged their impact by passing the misnamed Human Rights Act. I am surprised they didn’t call it the Criminal Rights Act.”
The Levelling Up Secretary added that the Home Secretary had made “thoughtful points” that “we do need to ensure we have a core of values that everyone who lives here accepts.”
Well-founded concerns about the suitability of post-war international agreements to modern global conditions are not strengthened by being lumped together with attacks on multiculturalism.
“As case law has developed, what we have seen in practice, is a interpretive shift away from ‘persecution’, in favour of something more akin to a definition of ‘discrimination’.”
Instead of a Conservative housing policy that emphasises home ownership and architectural beauty, it will now be done the Labour way. When tower blocks start rising over the Home Counties, I hope that our remaining MPs realise their mistake.
The logic of the choice remains as Ken Clarke put it – Rwanda or nothing. Sir Keir has swallowed much in his pursuit of power, but Rwanda is a mouthful too much for him, or at least for his party. So he’s trying to bluff his way out of the problem.
The Veterans’ Minister adds that “it’s a really difficult policy area” but that 400 people are being housed and he is “really proud of the effort.”
If Sunak doesn’t commit the Conservatives to leaving, and then somehow wins the next election, the next Leader of the Opposition will take up the cause.
Our deputy editor tells Newsnight that the controversy about housing illegal entrants in hotels will continue until the Government bites the bullet and builds a proper asylum estate.
His university-educated opponents will view him as a relic of the past. I see his refusal to stay on message as the shape of things to come.
Labour are happy to hammer the Government for it’s lack of progress, but lack any convincing alternative plan to make the system effective and bring numbers down.
The Refugee Council, my organisation, will continue to oppose this legislation both because we think it’s a stain on this country’s record of supporting those in need, and because it will do nothing to reduce the number of boats.
Immigrants, too, get old. Assuming standards of medical care remain, or improve as the science advances, enormous movements of migrants would be constantly required just in order to pay the bills of earlier waves.