The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, finds himself caught in the middle of a political battle within the Conservative Party after his immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, resigned. Jenrick claims that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is too weak.

Resignation over rejection of ECHR rules

Jenrick's resignation came as a result of Sunak rejecting demands to opt out of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) rules. The immigration minister believed that the proposed legislation, which aims to disapply certain human rights laws in Rwanda asylum cases, would not provide strong enough protections.

"Triumph of hope over experience"

In his resignation statement, Jenrick criticized the proposed bill, saying, "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."

PM insists on tough immigration legislation

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his plan, stating that the emergency measures he announced are the "toughest immigration legislation ever." The goal of these measures is to have British courts reject any challenges to Rwanda asylum cases by disapplying certain human rights laws. However, the bill does not automatically override the ECHR.

Disagreements within the party

Following Jenrick's resignation, there were concerns that the proposed legislation would not prevent individuals from lodging legal appeals. Brexiteer MP Mark Francois described the resignation as "deeply worrying." Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman also warned that the Tories could face "electoral oblivion" if Sunak does not effectively address illegal migration.

Conflicting views on effectiveness

While Sunak insisted that Rwanda would have terminated the agreement if Britain had breached international legislation, Jenrick's departure stemmed from what he believed to be a misunderstanding of the situation. The new Home Secretary, James Cleverly, was unable to guarantee that the legislation would not be seen as breaking ECHR law.