Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda Bill has been delayed until Monday after two defeats in the House of Lords.
The Bill returned to the upper chamber for further scrutiny from peers following a vote by MPs to remove their previous amendments as the parliamentary battle over Mr Sunak’s deportation policy continued
On Wednesday night, however, the Lords backed amendments on the safety of Rwanda and exempting Afghan interpreters among others from the scheme.
It came despite Lord Sharpe of Epsom, a Home Office minister, insisting MPs had “already considered and rejected” similar amendments several times.
Lord Coaker, Labour’s shadow home affairs spokesman in the Lords, said the Rwanda Bill in its current form was “morally bankrupt”.
Recap a dramatic day in Westminster below, and join the conversation in the comments section here.
08:27 PM BST
That’s all for tonight…
Thank you for joining our coverage of another eventful day in Westminster as Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill was blocked by the House of Lords for a fourth time, risking further delays to deportation flights.
My colleague Jack Maidment will be back early tomorrow to cover all the fallout and guide you through another day.
08:18 PM BST
Allister Heath: The world is on the brink of a nuclear holocaust
The conventional wisdom is wrong, writes Allister Heath. We need rational, controlled escalation from the Western powers in the face of Iranian aggression, not more of the sickening appeasement, delusion and cowardice of the past few days.
The regime needs to be punished for its monstrous war-mongering, not mollified and placated by a bunch of Western ignoramuses who confuse weakness for virtue.
If Joe Biden were a serious president, he would announce that the mullahs in Tehran have crossed a red line, that they are an existential menace to civilised nations.
He would declare that enough is enough, that no country can shoot hundreds of drones and missiles at one of its neighbours with impunity, that no government can go on funding terrorism, rape, torture and murder on an industrial scale. He would understand the need to deter other rogue states through a show of strength.
In the real world, in common with David Cameron, Biden clings to a policy of appeasement when it comes to Iran and its proxies, even though this strategy failed to contain fascistic, imperialistic powers in the 1930s and will fail to do so again in the 2020s.
Allister Heath: The West prefers to lecture Israel than face reality
08:03 PM BST
How the two votes broke down
Amendment B1
Content: 245
Not Content: 208
Amendment D1
Content: 247
Not Content: 195
07:55 PM BST
Analysis: Another blow for Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak’s day had started reasonably enough, with a punchy performance at Prime Minister’s Questions and more good news on the economy as inflation fell further.
But the House of Lords once again defeating his Rwanda Bill through its support of two amendments will come as a major blow to the Government.
Mr Sunak has staked his premiership on the success of the deportation policy and Downing Street continues to insist the first flight will have taken off by the end of spring.
A Brexit-style gridlock has taken hold, however, with MPs and peers at odds over his strategy.
And with just months before that all-important general election, the return of the Bill at the start of next week cannot come soon enough for a Prime Minister desperate to show he is taking action on tackling illegal migration.
07:44 PM BST
Breaking: Lords back second amendment by 247 votes to 195
The House of Lords has defeated the Government on the Rwanda Bill for a second time tonight.
Peers backed an amendment that would stop those who helped the Armed Forces and British nationals overseas, including Afghan translators, by 247 votes to 195.
07:37 PM BST
And another division…
Peers are now voting on Amendment D1 to the Rwanda Bill.
The “debt of honour amendment” covers those who have helped the Armed Forces overseas, including Afghan interpreters, and would exempt them from deportation to Rwanda if they arrived illegally in the UK via the Channel.
07:33 PM BST
Breaking: Lords back Rwanda Bill amendment by 245 votes to 208
Back and forth over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill will continue after the House of Lords backed Lord Hope’s amendment by 245 votes to 208.
07:22 PM BST
Division!
Peers are now voting on Lord Hope’s amendment, Amendment B1, under which the International Monitoring Committee would be able to check that Rwanda was still a safe country and advise the Government accordingly.
07:21 PM BST
Home Office Minister: MPs have already rejected these amendments
Responding to other peers’ contributions, Lord Sharpe of Epsom said: “The Commons have now considered and rejected these amendments on several occasions.
“We will only ratify the treaty once all necessary implementation is in place for both countries to comply with the obligations under the treaty.
“Rwanda has a strong track record of looking after asylum seekers and welcoming refugees, and it has also been internationally recognised for its general safety and stability.”
Lord Sharpe said the Rwanda Bill was “consistent with what is required by the ECHR” and “we will not turn our backs on those who have supported our Armed Forces and Government”.
07:19 PM BST
Rwanda Bill is ‘morally bankrupt’, says Labour
Lord Coaker branded the Rwanda Bill in its current form “morally bankrupt”.
Labour’s home affairs spokesman said: “I do not believe that the frontbench sat in front of me agrees with their own Government on this, I don’t.
“But what they are asking and their Government is asking them to do and all of the backbenchers sat behind them is to vote for something that is morally bankrupt. To vote for something which goes against what we promised those who stood with us in Afghanistan, and we promised them that we would forgive them.
“We are not going to exempt them from the provisions of this Bill… It doesn’t matter what political party you stand for, that can’t be right.”
07:14 PM BST
Labour home affairs spokesman: ‘Unbelievable’ Government will not back amendments
Lord Coaker, Labour’s shadow home affairs spokesman in the Lords, said the Rwanda Bill in its current form “says two and two is three-and-a-half” and the Lord Hope’s amendment “would make two and two make four”.
“It doesn’t delay the Bill, it doesn’t stop the Bill, it simply makes the Bill make sense. It uses the Monitoring Committee, set up by the treaty the Government has put forward, to say to the Government in a very simple way Rwanda is now safe because all of the mechanisms set out by the treaty have now been put in place.
“More importantly, perhaps, is the second part of that, where the Monitoring Committee can actually rescue the Government from what is laid out in the Bill by saying that if some point in the future, the Monitoring Committee could let the Government know or the Government could act. Why on earth would the Government oppose that particular amendment? It’s one of those things that is completely unbelievable.”
07:05 PM BST
Baroness Chakrabarti: Refugees facing Rwanda deportation have ‘paid in courage and blood’
Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti spoke in favour of Amendment C1, the rule of law amendment, and Amendment D1, the “debt of honour amendment” covering those who have helped the Armed Forces overseas, including Afghan interpreters.
She added it was imperative that “those who have paid in courage and blood for a promise that they would be looked after by the Crown that they served” would not be sent to Rwanda.
Baroness Chakrabarti confirmed she would not be pressing Amendment C1, but said both Lord Hope’s parliamentary sovereignty amendment and Amendment D1 should be supported by peers.
07:01 PM BST
Lord Hope: Ministers have their heads buried in the sand over Rwanda
Lord Hope of Craighead, a crossbench peer, said peers were being asked to say Rwanda was a safe country “from that very moment” that the Bill came into force and said his amendment provided an “escape clause” if it was to become unsafe.
“That is so… whether or not Rwanda at some time in the future ceases to be safe… with no room for any escape.
“The Secretary of State is required by Clause 2, for all time, conclusively to treat Rwanda as safe. If the noble Lord, the minister, will forgive me, his head is buried in the sand, a bit like that of the proverbial ostrich.
“My amendment seeks to add two provisions Clause 1 of the Bill. The first point is that before Rwanda can be judged to be a safe country, the mechanisms that the treaty provides for must be put into practice. Ratifying a treaty is an important step but that is not enough… The treaty must be implemented before Rwanda can be considered to be safe.
“So my amendment seeks to write into the Bill a provision that Rwanda cannot be treated as a safe country until the Secretary of State has laid before Parliament a statement from the Independent Monitoring Committee that the key mechanisms that the treaty provides for its implementation have been created, and it provides that Rwanda will cease to be a safe country for the purposes of the act if the Secretary of State makes a statement for Parliament to that effect”
06:52 PM BST
Rwanda Bill back in the Lords
Lord Sharpe of Epsom, a Home Office minister, is speaking in the upper chamber.
“I am grateful to all noble Lords on all benches for their careful consideration of this Bill,” he said.
“We have debated the same issues for some time and it is of course right that the Bill is properly scrutinised. However, the time has come to get the Bill onto the statute book.
“The Government takes its responsibilities and international obligations incredibly seriously. The Bill simply ensures that Parliament’s sovereign view that Rwanda is a safe country is deferred to and binding in domestic law.
“This is to avoid systemic legal challenges frustrating removals. What it doesn’t mean is that the Bill legislates away our international obligations.”
06:29 PM BST
Angela Rayner investigated over council tax fraud claims
Police are investigating Angela Rayner over council tax fraud claims alongside possible electoral offences, with around a dozen officers assigned to the case.
Stephen Watson, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said there were “a number of assertions knocking about” that the force would “get to the bottom of”.
Stockport council is understood to have been assessing correspondence from James Daly, the Conservative deputy chairman, about what Ms Rayner’s council tax arrangements were.
It is understood to be reviewing whether Ms Rayner claimed a single person’s council tax discount on her former council house on Vicarage Road while allowing her brother to live there.
Will Bolton has the full story
06:17 PM BST
Truss: Government should support Israel more
Liz Truss said she wanted to see “more support” for Israel from the Government.
In an interview with ITV’s Peston, the former prime minister was asked whether she thought Lord Cameron was “supportive enough” of Benjamin Netanyahu’s country.
“I would like to see more support for Israel. I advocated a more pro-Israel policy when I ran to be prime minister and while I was foreign secretary.
“On some occasions I had to actively intervene with officials to get them to vote in a more pro-Israel way at the United Nations. So there definitely is a tendency to not support Israel as much as I would like in the Foreign Office.”
Pressed on whether Lord Cameron had been “captured”, she replied: “I am concerned when we are not wholly supportive of Israel and what Israel needs to do to take on the appalling terrorist threat and to take on the forces in the Middle East that are determined to see the end of Israel.”
06:00 PM BST
Tom Harris: The Left thinks everyone has ‘rights’ – apart from Nigel Farage
There can be little doubt that very few of the speakers invited to attend the now infamous National Conservative conference in Brussels would be on the guest list of any Islington dinner party, writes Tom Harris.
There was Nigel Farage, of course, a hate figure even among those who think hatred can, and should be, combatted by Acts of parliament. Or Victor Orbàn, the Hungarian prime minister – a poster boy for the ‘intolerant Right’.
That the conference is being allowed to go ahead today will be a cause of regret, not only to the local mayor who sent the police yesterday to shut it down, but to many politicians and commentators here in the UK.
Even shadow health secretary Wes Streeting was having fun with the news of the debacle while at the despatch box in the Commons yesterday, smirking away merrily at the thought of politicians he disagreed with being silenced by the state. Oh, what larks!
Tom Harris: Labour’s delight over NatCon chaos is deeply worrying
05:44 PM BST
Tonight’s timings
The Rwanda Bill will return to the House of Lords for further debate from 6.45pm, The Telegraph’s Home Affairs Editor Charles Hymas hears.
Peers are then expected to vote on amendments to Rishi Sunak’s flagship legislation from around 7.45pm.
05:34 PM BST
We must leave the ECHR, urges Robert Jenrick
Britain should “leave and move on” from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Robert Jenrick has said.
In an interview with the Sun’s Never Mind the Ballots series, the former immigration minister said attempts to reform the ECHR would prove as ill-fated as Lord Cameron’s efforts to renegotiate UK membership of the European Union.
Mr Jenrick said: “I think the question we’ve got to ask ourselves is, does staying in the ECHR make us safer? Does it make the country more prosperous, does it increase our influence in the world? And I think the answer to all of those questions is no.
“This is a treaty, a convention, that has been bent out of shape, out of all recognition to the original proponents. Winston Churchill would be aghast at what’s happened to it. It is viewed by its activist judges as a living instrument.”
He said “judges acting as politicians” was both “bad for democracy” and “not in the interests of the British public”, adding: “It is now time for us to leave and move on.”
05:28 PM BST
What happens now?
The House of Lords is set to debate the Rwanda Bill once again from around 6pm tonight.
Whether peers dig in or back down will decide when Rishi Sunak’s flagship legislation receives Royal Assent, or if we can expect even more ping-pong between the two Houses in the coming days.
05:07 PM BST
Reform surges to highest ever level of Red Wall support
Reform has surged to its highest ever level of support in the Red Wall, a new poll shows.
The latest survey by Redfield & Wilton Strategies has Richard Tice’s political party at 18 per cent in key election battleground seats in the north and Midlands that were crucial to Boris Johnson’s 2019 landslide.
Labour continues to lead in the Red Wall at 44 per cent, while the Tories are unchanged on 24 per cent.
05:01 PM BST
Q&A: What happens next with the Rwanda plan?
MPs have overturned the four amendments passed by the Lords to the Rwanda Bill on Tuesday, forcing it back into the Upper House where peers will have to decide whether to reject it for a fourth time, writes Charles Hymas, The Telegraph’s Home Affairs Editor.
They could pass the Bill, meaning it could be swiftly granted Royal Assent. But Labour and crossbench peers could stand firm on two changes to the Safety of Bill – exempting Afghans who worked with the UK military and for a monitoring body to verify the safety of Rwanda for deported migrants.
If the two new amendments are passed by the Lords, the Bill will be delayed until next week for a further round of so-called Parliamentary ping-pong.
There are some observers who suggest that the Tories would rather the flights were delayed until nearer the election, enabling them to fight the campaign on a popular policy instead of it being seen to fail as a deterrent.
However, the Bill is expected to gain Royal Assent within days despite the lengthy battle between MPs and the House of Lords.
Read Charles’s full explainer here
04:51 PM BST
Pictured: Prime Minister meets postmasters in Parliament
Postmasters fought for decades to bring to light the shocking truth of the Horizon scandal.
I was pleased to meet some of these tireless campaigners today in Parliament.
We will right the wrongs of the past and ensure victims get the justice and redress they deserve. pic.twitter.com/dOS2wBaLac
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 17, 2024
04:40 PM BST
Yvette Cooper brands Tory MPs ‘shameful and shambolic’ over Rwanda vote
Yvette Cooper has branded Conservative MPs “shameful and shambolic” after they rejected a Lords amendment to the Rwanda Bill aimed at avoiding Afghan interpreters and others who have served alongside Britain’s Armed Forces abroad being sent to the African country.
Ms Cooper, the shadow home secretary, wrote on X: “Tory MPs just voted to insist that Afghan interpreters who served British armed forces can be sent to Rwanda.
“A scheme which costs £2m per asylum seeker. A £500m+ scheme for less than one per cent of asylum seekers. Which now includes those who worked with our troops. Shameful and shambolic.”
Luke Pollard, the shadow Armed Forces minister, and Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, had written to their Conservative counterparts yesterday urging them to “change course” and back the amendment.
04:25 PM BST
Rwanda Bill to return to the Lords later today
The Rwanda Bill will return to the House of Lords later today for further scrutiny after MPs voted to remove all of the amendments made by peers.
As the parliamentary battle over Rishi Sunak’s flagship plan continues, if peers dig in and back fresh changes to the legislation then a fourth round of “ping-pong” will be triggered. This would further delaying the Bill from finally becoming law.
If the upper chamber gives in, however, the Bill will finally have cleared all of its parliamentary stages and will become law.
Ministers have insisted they still believe the first migrant deportation flights can take off this spring despite the protracted battle.
04:23 PM BST
MPs reject fourth and final Rwanda Bill amendment
MPs have voted to remove the fourth and final Lords amendment to the Rwanda Bill.
The Commons voted by 302 votes to 244 to disagree with the Lords amendment that would have stopped those who have helped the British Army abroad, including Afghan interpreters, from being deported to Rwanda.
04:12 PM BST
Commons voting on fourth and final Rwanda Bill amendment
MPs are voting on a fourth and final Lords amendment to the Rwanda Bill.
Amendment 10D would stop people who have worked alongside the British Army overseas, including Afghan interpreters, and their dependants from deported to Rwanda.
04:11 PM BST
MPs remove third Rwanda Bill amendment
MPs have voted to remove a third amendment made by peers to the Rwanda Bill.
The Commons voted by 310 votes to 240 to disagree with the Lords amendment.
04:03 PM BST
Good afternoon
Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through the rest of the day.
The Commons is now voting on Amendment 6D to the Rwanda Bill, which would allow for challenges to the assumption that Rwanda is a safe country and for this to be kept under review.
03:58 PM BST
MPs remove second Rwanda Bill amendment
MPs have voted to remove a second amendment made by peers to the Rwanda Bill.
The House of Commons voted by 306 votes to 240 to scrap an amendment which would have required an independent verdict that Rwanda is a safe country before asylum seekers could be sent there.
03:48 PM BST
Commons now voting to remove second Rwanda Bill amendment
MPs are now voting to remove a second amendment made by peers to the Rwanda Bill.
This amendment states that Rwanda cannot be treated as a safe country for the purposes of the deportation scheme until the Government has received a statement from an independent monitoring committee effectively stating that to be the case.
03:45 PM BST
MPs vote to remove first peers’ Rwanda Bill amendment
MPs have voted to remove an amendment made by peers to the Rwanda Bill which would have placed a requirement on ministers to have due regard to international and domestic law when rolling out the policy.
MPs voted to remove the amendment by 306 votes to 240.
03:31 PM BST
MPs voting to remove Rwanda Bill amendment
MPs are now voting to remove the first of four amendments made to the Rwanda Bill by the House of Lords.
The first amendment would place a requirement on the Government to have due regard to international and domestic law when implementing the Rwanda plan.
03:23 PM BST
Rwanda plan is ‘state-sponsored people trafficking’, claims SNP
Alison Thewliss, the SNP’s home affairs spokesperson, claimed the Government’s Rwanda migrant deportation plan amounted to “state-sponsored people trafficking”.
She told the House of Commons this afternoon: “I would also reiterate my deep concerns that this is state-sponsored people trafficking. Whichever way you cut it you are removing people without their will to a country without their consent.
“That is people trafficking.”
03:15 PM BST
Cleverly: ‘Labour have been trying everything they can to stop the planes’
115 votes and counting…
We’re doing everything we can to stop the boats, Labour have been trying everything they can to stop the planes. pic.twitter.com/qSyXm8pea3
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) April 17, 2024
03:09 PM BST
Pictured: Lord Cameron meets Benjamin Netanyahu during visit to Israel
03:00 PM BST
Tories ‘flogging a dead horse’ on Rwanda plan, claims Labour
Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, claimed the Government was “flogging” a “dead horse of a policy” with its Rwanda plan.
Mr Kinnock told the House of Commons that just “two per cent of small boat crossers” have been removed from the UK since 2018.
The Labour frontbencher claimed successive Tory governments had adopted an approach on illegal migration of “headline chasing gimmicks, empty gestures and blank cheques”.
02:52 PM BST
Rwanda Bill becoming law would send ‘clear signal’, says minister
Concluding his remarks in the House of Commons, Michael Tomlinson said the Government “cannot stand by and allow people smugglers to control who enters our country and to see more lives being lost at sea”.
The minister for countering illegal migration, said: “Letting this Bill pass now will send a clear signal that if you come to the UK illegally you will not be able to stay.”
02:45 PM BST
Senior Tory MP warns Rwanda plan will face legal challenge once Bill becomes law
Sir William Cash, a senior Tory MP, said that as soon as the Rwanda Bill makes it onto the statute book and becomes law, the Government’s deportation policy will almost certainly be challenged again in the courts.
Sir William said that “as sure as anything” claims would be made and the Government therefore needed to make sure the Bill is as “clear and unambiguous” as possible to ensure the Supreme Court would rule in favour of ministers.
“If not, it is all over,” he told the House of Commons.
Michael Tomlinson, the minister for countering illegal migration, said he believed the Bill is “clear and unambiguous”.
02:33 PM BST
Government will try to scrap all Lords’ amendments to Rwanda Bill
The debate on the Rwanda Bill has now started in the House of Commons.
Michael Tomlinson, the minister for countering illegal migration, confirmed the Government is seeking to remove all four of the amendments made to the Bill by peers during the latest round of “ping-pong”.
He told the Commons: “We need to bring this process to a conclusion to get the Bill onto the statute book and to get the flights off the ground as soon as possible.”
02:06 PM BST
Rwanda Bill debate should start at about 2.30pm
There are a handful of MPs left to ask a question during the urgent question in the House of Commons on the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
There will then be a Ten Minute Rule Motion and then we will be onto the debate on the Rwanda Bill, probably at about 2.30pm.
02:02 PM BST
Inflation blow leaves Britain facing just one rate cut this year
The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates just once this year after inflation fell less than hoped in March.
Money markets indicate that policymakers could wait as late as November before beginning to reduce borrowing costs, with traders pricing in only one reduction in 2024 – down from a previous prediction of five.
You can read the full story here.
01:41 PM BST
Downing Street rules out making concessions on Rwanda Bill
Downing Street has ruled out offering any concessions on its Rwanda Bill as the standoff with the House of Lords rumbles on.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Our policy on this hasn’t changed. We believe the Bill as it stands addresses the conclusions of the Supreme Court. Our focus now is on passing this legislation as quickly as possible so that we can begin flights.”
He added: “We are not considering concessions. We believe the Bill as it stands is the right Bill and the quickest way to get flights off the ground.”
There have already been two rounds of parliamentary “ping-pong”, with peers making changes to the Bill and MPs then voting to remove them.
The third round of “ping-pong” is due to start in the Commons later this afternoon.
01:25 PM BST
No 10 rejects Labour claims over scrapping National Insurance
Downing Street rejected Labour’s characterisation of plans to scrap National Insurance contributions as an unfunded tax cut, but suggested it would not be costed by the Office for Budget Responsibility at the next fiscal event.
After Sir Keir Starmer attacked Rishi Sunak’s “completely unfunded £46 billion promise to scrap National Insurance” during Prime Minister’s Questions, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “That is obviously not a costing made by the OBR.”
Asked what the real price tag is, the official said: “That’s a question for the OBR which will assess policies as and when they are announced at future fiscal events.”
But he suggested that would not happen at the next event, saying: “It’s Government policy, but it doesn’t have a specific timetable and that is why the OBR is not costing it. We’re going to make progress on it over a period of time.”
01:05 PM BST
Sharp jump in applications to vote on deadline day for May 2 elections
Applications to vote spiked yesterday – the last day people were able to register ahead of next month’s local, mayoral and police elections.
A total of 153,614 applications were submitted, the highest for a single day so far this year and more than three times the previous high of 43,037, which was set on Monday.
An average of 45,059 applications to vote were made per day in the week to April 16, up from 24,906 the previous week and 21,234 a fortnight ago, Government figures show.
Every voter in England and Wales will be able to cast a ballot in at least one type of election on May 2.
12:49 PM BST
Sunak tells Starmer to ‘show some leadership’ over Rayner row
Rishi Sunak told Sir Keir Starmer to “show some leadership” and instruct Angela Rayner to publish the advice she received relating to the sale of her council house a decade ago.
The Prime Minister said Sir Keir needed to “get a grip of the situation”.
He told the House of Commons: “A key principle of our country is that there are the same rules for everyone and when it comes to this topic, I do think the Labour leader should show some leadership, to avoid stop reading the legal advice, simply just publish it and get a grip of the situation.
“It says a lot about his priorities that when it comes to his famed legal expertise he is more than happy to help defend Hizb ut-Tahrir but refuses to help his own deputy leader.”
Greater Manchester Police announced last week that it was investigating Ms Rayner. She has been accused of wrongly declaring her permanent address on the electoral register, which is an offence.
Ms Rayner has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, describing the claims against her as a “stream of smears” by the Tories.
12:31 PM BST
Sunak tells SNP to stop ‘obsessing’ over Scottish independence
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, told Rishi Sunak that another referendum on Scottish independence should not be off the table.
He said: “May I ask the Prime Minister, does he welcome the fulsome, wholehearted and warm support for the Labour Party in denying the people of Scotland that opportunity to have a say over their own future?”
Mr Sunak replied: “We did have a democratic vote on that topic but what I would suggest to the SNP is that rather than obsessing about independence and indeed wasting time cracking down on free speech in trying to lock up JK Rowling, he should focus on what the people of Scotland actually care about: schools, hospitals, jobs and our new tax cuts.”
12:25 PM BST
Sunak tells Starmer to ‘keep up’ amid row over Tories’ National Insurance pledge
Sir Keir Starmer tried to keep the exchanges at PMQs focused on the National Insurance issue.
The Labour leader asked Rishi Sunak: “Is his £46 billion promise to abolish National Insurance being paid for by cuts to the NHS, cuts to the state pension or yet another Tory tax rise?”
The Prime Minister replied: “He has really got to keep up. It is this Government that has just delivered a £900 increase to the state pension. It is this Government that has already committed to the triple lock for the next Parliament.”
12:21 PM BST
Starmer and Sunak clash over PM’s ambition to scrap NI
Sir Keir Starmer asked Rishi Sunak to rule out making cuts to the NHS or pensions, and to rule out putting up taxes to pay for his plan to scrap National Insurance.
The Prime Minister replied: “I make absolutely no apology about wanting to end the unfairness of the double taxation on work.
“The NHS is receiving record funding under this Conservative Government pensioners have just received a £900 increase under this Government.”
12:16 PM BST
Starmer: PM refusing to say how scrapping NI would be paid for
Sir Keir Starmer claimed Rishi Sunak was “refusing to say where the money will come from” to pay for the Tories’ long term ambition of scrapping National Insurance.
The Prime Minister dismissed the claim and said: “While we are cutting taxes, Labour is already putting them up. In Wales, putting up taxes right now for small businesses. In Birmingham, putting up council tax by 21 per cent.”
Mr Sunak claimed that provided a “glimpse of what they would if they got into power”.
12:09 PM BST
PM: Starmer’s economic plans ‘would be a disaster for UK’
Sir Keir Starmer returned to the subject of Liz Truss’s new book.
The Labour leader said the former prime minister had a “long list of people to blame” over why her premiership ended so swiftly.
Sir Keir asked Rishi Sunak if he agreed with him that the reason things went badly for Ms Truss was because of the “Tories’ unfunded tax cuts” that “crashed the economy”.
Mr Sunak said that at the time he had “repeatedly warned” against Ms Truss’s plans.
He told the Commons: “I was right then but I am also right now when I say that his economic policies would be a disaster for Britain.”
12:05 PM BST
Sunak takes aim at Starmer over handling of Rayner row
PMQs is now underway in the House of Commons.
Sir Keir Starmer said he was the “proud owner” of Liz Truss’s new book and it is “quite the read” as he grilled Rishi Sunak about the mini-Budget.
Mr Sunak hit back and suggested Sir Keir should spend a “bit less time reading that book and a bit more time reading the deputy leader’s tax advice”.
Sir Keir accused Mr Sunak of an attempt to “smear a working class woman”.
12:00 PM BST
Rishi Sunak cheered by Tory MPs ahead of PMQs
Rishi Sunak was given a warm welcome by Tory MPs as he entered the House of Commons ahead of PMQs.
The Prime Minister is now sat on the Government frontbench and the session should start imminently.
11:43 AM BST
Farage hails ‘most productive and fruitful day ever in Brussels’
Nigel Farage said yesterday’s National Conservatism conference may have been his “most productive and fruitful day ever in Brussels”.
Writing for The Telegraph after the attempt to shut down the event, Mr Farage said: “I was forever the devil, forever the outsider – but now I can see a growing number are beginning to understand what this globalist project of ever closer union actually represents.
“It is not just undemocratic, but anti-democratic in its very nature. These nasty people have done the cause of freedom – and Brexit – an enormous favour.”
You can read Mr Farage’s piece in full here.
11:36 AM BST
Cameron: Israel has made decision to respond to Iran attack
Israel has made a decision to respond to the Iranian drone and ballistic missile attack, Lord Cameron has said during a visit to Israel.
“It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act,” Lord Cameron said. “We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible.”
You can follow the latest updates on the situation in Israel on our dedicated live blog here.
11:20 AM BST
Tory chairman: Starmer should ‘instruct’ Rayner to publish council house sale advice
The chairman of the Conservative Party has urged Sir Keir Starmer to “instruct” Angela Rayner to publish the advice she received relating to the sale of her council house after Greater Manchester Police suggested she was being investigated over multiple allegations.
Richard Holden said: “Despite multiple allegations about the most senior member of his team, Sir Keir Starmer is still refusing to deal with the serious ethics scandal engulfing Angela Rayner because he is too weak to lead.
“He should show some leadership and instruct Angela Rayner to publish her legal advice.”
Greater Manchester Police announced last week that it was investigating Ms Rayner. She has been accused of wrongly declaring her permanent address on the electoral register, which is an offence.
Ms Rayner has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, describing the claims against her as a “stream of smears” by the Tories.
11:08 AM BST
What time will MPs debate the Rwanda Bill?
PMQs will get underway as normal at noon and there are two urgent questions which will take place after that – one on the situation in Gaza and another on the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
PMQs will finish at about 12.40pm and if the urgent questions last just over an hour, that will take us to about 2pm.
There will then be a Ten Minute Rule Motion – a parliamentary process which allows individual MPs the chance to bring forward their own legislation.
And then consideration of Lords’ amendments to the Rwanda Bill will start. So potentially 2.20pm, although it will depend entirely on how long the urgent questions last.
MPs will have up to an hour to debate the changes and they will then vote on whether to scrap the amendments. Peers made four changes to the Bill yesterday so that likely means four votes in the Commons this afternoon.
10:51 AM BST
Two urgent questions in the Commons today
AFTER 1230 TODAY:
1. Urgent question: @DavidLammy asking for a statement on humanitarian situation in Gaza.
2. Urgent question: @wendychambLD asking for a statement on the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan
— Labour Whips (@labourwhips) April 17, 2024
10:38 AM BST
Rwanda Bill ‘ping pong’ enters its third round
It is another big day for Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill.
The House of Lords yesterday insisted on making fresh changes to the Bill despite the House of Commons having voted twice already to strip out amendments previously made by peers.
MPs will consider the latest amendments this afternoon and are expected to again vote to remove them as the “ping-pong” process enters its third round.
The Bill is then expected to go immediately back to the upper chamber where peers could decide to give in and let the unamended legislation pass or they could dig in and vote for fresh changes.
If peers give in then the Bill will formally clear Parliament and once it receives Royal Assent it will finally make it onto the statute book.
But if they make further changes then the Bill will have to return to the Commons again, likely next week.
10:18 AM BST
Pictured: Sir Ed Davey arrives in Westminster this morning
10:03 AM BST
Smoking ban is ‘ridiculous’, says Tice
Richard Tice labelled Rishi Sunak’s phased ban on smoking “ridiculous” and argued adults should be trusted to make their own decisions.
The leader of Reform UK claimed the Prime Minister was trying to push the ban through “as his only legacy”.
Told that no parent wanted their child to smoke, Mr Tice told Times Radio: “It’s illegal for children to smoke. They’re not allowed to smoke at the moment. But when they’re adults, trust individuals to make their own decisions about their own lives, that’s actually how you make progress.
“You can’t constantly tell people you can and you can’t do this when you’re an adult. Surely that’s a fundamental freedom that democracy is all about, liberty is all about, free speech is all about.
“I’m an adult, I should be able to, it’s my health, if I knowingly, having been informed, decide I want to smoke, which by the way I don’t I can’t stand this stuff, then that’s my personal decision.”
09:41 AM BST
Minister won’t deny RAF could be involved in Rwanda flights
Laura Trott, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, did not deny that the RAF could play a role in the Rwanda migrant deportation flights.
Asked if the RAF could be involved, she told Times Radio: “We don’t comment on operational details.”
09:29 AM BST
Sunak won’t be drawn on potential RAF involvement in Rwanda scheme
Rishi Sunak declined to comment on reports that RAF aircraft could be used to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Asked whether it would be appropriate to use RAF aircraft, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: “My priority is to stop the boats.
“I said this very clearly when I became Prime Minister and right now we are trying to get the [Rwanda] Bill through Parliament in the face of enormous opposition from the Labour Party.”
He added: “We must stop the boats because it is a matter of fairness.”
09:23 AM BST
Sunak: ‘Our economic plan is working’
Rishi Sunak hailed today’s inflation figures, saying they demonstrated his economic plan is working.
Inflation stood at 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to March 2024, down from the 3.4 per cent recorded in February.
The Prime Minister told broadcasters this morning: “Today’s figures show that after a tough couple of years, our economic plan is working and inflation continues to fall.
“Having been 11 per cent when I became Prime Minister, it’s now fallen to just over three per cent, the lowest level in two-and-a-half years.
“We have also seen energy bills falling, mortgage rates falling and, just this week, data showed people’s wages have been rising faster than inflation for 12 months in a row.”
He added: “My simple message would be: if we stick to the plan, we can ensure that everyone has a brighter future.”
09:17 AM BST
Pictured: Starmer leaves his London home ahead of PMQs at noon
09:11 AM BST
Ukraine-Russia war will stretch into 2026 ‘at least’, warns James Heappey
The Ukraine-Russia war will still be going on in 2026 “at least”, a former armed forces minister warned this morning.
James Heappey said the UK and the wider West must not become “defeatist” and must maintain the belief that Ukraine can win.
He said a Russian victory would mean “cold war in Europe once again with an emboldened Russia looking greedily at Latvia or Lithuania or Estonia next”.
Mr Heappey also warned against any “complacent” belief that the stalemate in the conflict could be permanent as he argued it would be possible for Russia to gain ground if support for Ukraine falters.
He said that “by far the cheapest option” and the best option for UK and world security “is to stay committed to getting the Ukrainians over the line, however long that takes”.
Asked if the conflict will still be happening in 2026, Mr Heappey told LBC: “Yeah, at least. I think people have to get their head around this.”
08:52 AM BST
Heappey: Iran attack on Israel ‘could have been Pearl Harbor moment’
James Heappey, the former armed forces minister, said Iran’s direct attack on Israel at the weekend “could have been a Pearl Harbor moment”, triggering a wider war in the Middle East.
He told LBC this morning: “What happened over the weekend could have been a Pearl Harbor moment.
“If that wave of drones and missiles had landed in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem there would have been no discussion with [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government about their right to react and a regional war would have been an almost guaranteed outcome.”
08:42 AM BST
Attempt to shut down NatCon summit ‘absolutely not right’, says minister
An attempt to shut down a National Conservatism summit in Brussels was “absolutely not right”, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury said.
Laura Trott told Sky News: “That is not right. That is absolutely not right. We must, absolutely must, have free speech in this country. It is vital that people are able to debate things, to air their views.
“No-platforming is totally and utterly wrong, I fundamentally disagree with it.”
08:31 AM BST
Laura Trott says she won’t be reading Liz Truss’s new book
Laura Trott said she will not be reading Liz Truss’s new book because she is “not really that interested in revisiting” that period in British politics.
Ms Truss has just brought out a book called “Ten Years To Save The West” and the former prime minister has been out and about conducting numerous interviews in recent days to promote it.
Ms Trott, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, was asked this morning during an interview on Sky News if she intended to read it.
She replied: “I am not. I have read a very good book about Liz Truss… but I think that is probably enough Liz Truss books for me.”
Asked why not, Ms Trott said: “I think that that is a period that I am not really that interested in revisiting, if I am honest.”
08:24 AM BST
Minister insists Government ‘will be ready’ for Rwanda flights this spring
Laura Trott would not be drawn on who will be providing the Government’s Rwanda migrant deportation flights.
But she insisted the Government “will be ready” to get planes off the ground in the spring, once the Rwanda Bill makes it onto the statute book.
Asked if the Government had an operator in place amid much speculation in Westminster about the issue, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury told Sky News: “We are working on operationalising this but we are not going to go into details of how we are going to do that.
“But we will be ready for flights to take off in the spring when the legislation passes.”
Asked what “the spring” actually means, Ms Trott said: “We are hoping to get them up and running as quickly as possible.”
08:17 AM BST
Lib Dems: Tories ‘patting themselves on the back’ over economic failure
The Liberal Democrats claimed the Tories were “patting themselves on the back” over the fall in the rate of inflation.
Sarah Olney, the party’s Treasury spokesperson, said: “Nobody will notice this in their pockets, with mortgage bills still skyrocketing after Liz Truss crashed the economy, and prices still so much higher than last year.
“By patting themselves on the back for this record, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt have proved just how out of touch they are.
“Conservative Chancellors have presided over the worst cost of living crisis in living memory. The blame lies squarely with their gross economic incompetence.”
08:13 AM BST
Reeves: Sunak ‘too weak to fix the economy’
Rachel Reeves argued “working people are worse off” after 14 years of the Conservative Party being in power as she responded to today’s inflation number (see the post below at 08.01).
The shadow chancellor said: “Conservative ministers will be hitting the airwaves today to tell the British people that they have never had it so good. However, after fourteen years of economic failure under the Conservatives working people are worse off.
“Prices are still high in the shops, monthly mortgage bills are going up and inflation is still higher than the Bank of England’s target.”
Ms Reeves claimed Rishi Sunak was “too weak to fix the economy his party broke and too out of touch to deliver for working people”.
08:05 AM BST
Sunak welcomes drop in rate of inflation
08:01 AM BST
Hunt welcomes inflation fall
Inflation stood at 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to March 2024, down from the 3.4 per cent recorded in February, according to official data published this morning by the Office for National Statistics.
Jeremy Hunt welcomed the fall and said it was “helping people’s money go further”.
The Chancellor said: “The plan is working: inflation is falling faster than expected, down from over 11 per cent to 3.2 per cent, the lowest level in nearly two and a half years, helping people’s money go further.
“This welcome news comes on top of our cuts to national insurance, which save the average worker £900 a year, so people should start to feel the difference as well as see it in their pay cheques.”
07:59 AM BST
Lord Cameron arrives in Israel for talks with Netanyahu
Lord Cameron has arrived in Israel this morning for talks with the country’s leaders following Iran’s attack over the weekend.
The Foreign Secretary is expected to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and other senior figures to discuss their response to the drone and missile barrage launched by Tehran on Saturday night.
The Government has called for restraint following the attack, with Rishi Sunak delivering that message to Mr Netanyahu in a phone call yesterday, saying this was “a moment for calm heads to prevail”.
Lord Cameron has also urged Tel Aviv to be “smart as well as tough” by not escalating the conflict with Iran, and has recently spoken with his counterparts in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates as part of efforts to reduce tensions in the region.
07:56 AM BST
Voters believe Sunak’s ‘noises’ on quitting ECHR are ‘inauthentic’, claims Braverman
Suella Braverman said Rishi Sunak’s “noises” about withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights are likely to be seen by voters as being “inauthentic”.
Mr Sunak has hinted he could take the UK out of the convention if the Stransbourg court blocks his Rwanda plan.
The Prime Minister has argued that control of the borders and migration is more important than membership of a foreign court.
But Mrs Braverman told GB News: “I worked very closely with the Prime Minister on this issue for over a year and his view, as expressed to me, was that he does not support leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
“We’re hearing a lot of noises from him right now. I do believe the British people would see them as inauthentic. I think if he’s really serious about stopping the boats, he’ll do what is necessary.”
07:52 AM BST
Quit the ECHR now and fight the election on it, Braverman urges Sunak
Suella Braverman has urged Rishi Sunak to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights immediately and then fight the general election on the issue.
The former home secretary told GB News: “We need to leave the European Convention of Human Rights and we need to do it now.
“It is no good putting it in a manifesto for the Conservative Party at the next general election, it is no good putting off the debate.”
Mrs Braverman said she believed exiting the ECHR could be delivered before the election.
She said: “Let’s fight the next election on it. Let’s force Keir Starmer’s hand, because I tell you, it would be great to see the Labour Party campaign to hand back control to Strasbourg, hand back control over our borders to a foreign court.
“Let’s have that debate with the British public. But the Prime Minister has the authority and he has the majority, I believe, to deliver what’s necessary to actually stop the boats.”
07:50 AM BST
Smoking ban is not ‘proportionate’, says Rees-Mogg
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said smoking is clearly bad for people but the Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill was “foolish and ill-timed”.
He told GB News: “This Bill would make it easier for under 18s to buy illegal drugs than to buy cigarettes, which cannot be proportionate.
“We cannot police the drugs that are illegal, so instead of concentrating on solving that problem, why on earth are we trying to make a less immediately dangerous addiction illegal too?”
07:44 AM BST
No 10 lacking ‘sense of purpose or urgency’, says ex-business secretary
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg questioned Downing Street’s decision to focus on bringing in a ban on smoking at a time when there are many other major issues in need of being addressed.
The senior Tory MP told GB News: “Is there no sense of purpose or urgency in Downing Street? Politically, the guns are ranged against us as we trail Labour by over 20 per cent in the opinion polls.
“Nearly a quarter of Tory voters from 2019 have left for Reform. Internationally, the world looks as dangerous as it has in decades, facing complex challenges in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“Domestically, tax is at record levels, the economy is sluggish and unemployment is rising. Immigration is out of control and the small boats continue to come across the Channel.
“Net zero is making people cold and poor, while our electricity costs two and a half times that of the United States. Against this background of urgent and pressing problems, what does the government decide to devote its efforts to? The picayune issue of smoking.
“This lack of sense of proportion is one of the reasons I voted against the Government [last night]. However, the [Tobacco and Vapes] Bill itself is ill-thought through and essentially absurd.”
07:41 AM BST
Rees-Mogg: Sunak’s ‘absurd’ smoking ban will not help Tories climb ‘electoral mountain’
Rishi Sunak’s “absurd” phased ban on smoking will not help the Conservative Party climb the “electoral mountain” it is currently facing ahead of the next general election, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned.
The former business secretary was one of 165 Tory MPs who either abstained or voted against the ban as the Prime Minister’s plan cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons last night with the help of Labour support.
Sir Jacob told GB News: “The Conservative Party has an electoral mountain to climb. If we want to overturn the Labour lead in the opinion polls, we need to start pursuing conservative policies and show a sense of proportion.
“How many voters will switch back to the Tories because of this complex and impractical ban, aggressively pushed by the people who gave us endless lockdowns?”
