UK politics live: Robert Jenrick resigns over immigration policy – as it happened | Politics

Thanks so much for following events with us. We are closing this blog now, you can read all our UK politics coverage here.

A summary of today’s developments

Jenrick ‘misunderstanding’ Rwanda law, says Sunak

Sunak has described Robert Jenrick’s resignation as “disappointing”, telling him in a letter he fears it was “based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation”.

You can read our full report into Robert Jenrick’s resignation – and what it means for Rishi Sunak – here.

Jenrick entered the Commons as MP for Newark in Nottinghamshire in a 2014 by-election, Press Association reminds us.

Theresa May promoted him to a Treasury minister in January 2018 and he was made housing secretary by Boris Johnson when he took office in July 2019.

But his time around the cabinet table ended in controversy, when he was sacked after a string of high-profile and damaging accusations. His departure followed the unlawful approval of a Tory donor’s housing development and eyebrow-raising journeys during lockdown.

Johnson stuck by Jenrick despite anger over his approval of media mogul Richard Desmond’s 1,500-home Westferry Printworks development in east London. The permission came the day before a new council community levy would have cost Desmond’s company an extra £40m. Jenrick later had to quash his own approval, conceding the decision was “unlawful” due to “apparent bias”.

There was also criticism over Jenrick’s decision to travel 150 miles from his London property to his Herefordshire home, and then journeying for more than an hour to visit his parents in Shropshire while the country was in Covid lockdown. He later lost his post in a reshuffle.

The arrival of Liz Truss in Number 10 saw Jenrick return to government for a short stint in the Department of Health. Then in October 2022, with Rishi Sunak taking the top job, Jenrick was appointed immigration minister.

Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden said: “This latest chaotic chapter demonstrates why the country is ready for change. And Keir Starmer’s changed Labour Party stands ready.

“The British people deserve a government that will fix the issues that matter to working people, not a Tory circus of gimmicks and leadership posturing.”

Jenrick, who was appointed in October 2022, also said the emergency legislation introduced to revive the Rwanda policy had “moved towards my position” but the Bill was “a triumph of hope over experience”.

He said: “In our discussions on the proposed emergency legislation you have moved towards my position, for which I am grateful.

“Nevertheless. I am unable to take the currently proposed legislation through the Commons as I do not believe it provides us with the best possible chance of success.

“A Bill of the kind you are proposing is a triumph of hope over experience. The stakes for the country are too high for us not to pursue the stronger protections required to end the merry-go-round of legal challenges which risk paralysing the scheme and negating its intended deterrent.”

In the letter to Rishi Sunak, Jenrick said the small boats crisis was doing “untold damage” to the country and the government needed to place “national interests highly contested interpretations of international law”.

He added: “As you know, I have been pushing for the strongest possible piece of emergency legislation to ensure that under the Rwanda policy we remove as many small boat arrivals, as swiftly as possible to generate the greatest deterrent effect.

“This stems from my firmly held position that the small boats crisis is a national emergency that is doing untold damage to our country, and the only way we will be able to stop the boats completely is by urgently introducing a major new deterrent.

“I have therefore consistently advocated for a clear piece of legislation that severely limits the opportunities for domestic and foreign courts to block or undermine the effectiveness of the policy.”

Jenrick discloses ‘strong disagreements’ with government’s immigration policy

That brings the Commons’ reaction to the home seecretary’s Rwanda statement to an end.

Newsportu’s Pippa Crerar on Robert Jenrick’s resignation.

Cleverly, asked how the Bill can comply with international law when its front page states the Home Secretary cannot say it is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, told the Commons: “Because what the statement says on the front of the Bill is clear, the words are unambiguous.

“But also I am absolutely certain that we are in accordance with international law, the two are not interchangeable.”

Conservative former immigration minister Kevin Foster asked if Ministry of Defence aircraft could be used to transfer people to Rwanda, with Mr Cleverly replying: “I don’t want at this point to go into too much detail of all the operational procedures, but I can reassure him we’re thinking about the logistics of that.”

Conservative former minister Mark Francois said the Home Secretary had “pointedly ducked” questions about individual appeals.

He asked: “As every person we would seek to send to Rwanda is an individual, if under this legislation those people could continue to appeal and appeal in order to delay being put on a flight, what’s the point of the Bill?”

Cleverly, in his reply, said: “An appeal process is an important part of a new legal process, it will not preclude people from being sent to Rwanda on this scheme.”

The provision of individual appeals is not related to the safety of Rwanda, the home secretary said.

James Cleverly’s comments were in response to a question from Conservative former minister Dr Caroline Johnson, who said: “There is a provision as he said for individual claims, can he tell what circumstances such an individual could expect to be successful? And how long that and the appeals process will be expected to take?”

Cleverly said: “The provision of individual claims is not to do with the safety of Rwanda, that’s an important distinction that needs to be made.

“Of course there does need to be provisions for appeals, that’s a normal part of any judicial or legal process.”

Home secretary confirms Robert Jenrick’s resignation as immigration minister

Robert Jenrick resigns as immigration minister

Rajeev Syal

James Cleverly will be judged for “decades” on the impact of the Government’s new Rwanda treaty and emergency bill, a senior Conservative backbencher has claimed.

Tory former minister Sir John Hayes, a close ally of ex-home secretary Suella Braverman, told the Commons: “The new Home Secretary will of course be aware and welcome the fact that he will be… judged by the effectiveness of this legislation for weeks and months and years, perhaps decades even.

“So will he confirm that the provisions in this Bill are sufficient to resist individual challenges from those who might be sent to Rwanda, and the interest groups and the dodgy lawyers who support them? And in particular would he speak specifically about the disapplication of Rule 39?”

Rule 39 orders from European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg have been used to suspend attempts to deport migrants in the past.

Cleverly replied: “The right is for ministers to decide on our response to a Rule 39 application, that is in the Bill. He is right that this sets important precedents.

The European court of human rights would benefit from “evolution” and “updating”, Cleverly told the Commons.

The Conservative former home secretary Priti Patel asked for details of any assessments made “as to whether the disapplication of the Human Rights Act and other laws are robust and will stand up to the legal challenges and ensure ultimately the delivery and the implementation of this policy”.

Cleverly said: “The UK takes its international obligations incredibly seriously. The Human Rights Act is in part being disapplied through this legislation”

He said the UK was one of the founding members of the European court of human rights, adding: “We regard it as an important institution, but like many postwar institutions it would benefit from evolution, it would benefit from updating.”

The home secretary added: “We have a robust legal system, we have a robust parliamentary system here in the UK. We should have some more self-confidence in those systems and use our experience to help capacity-building in partner countries like Rwanda.”