Two deputy chairs of the Conservative Party have resigned after backing rightwing amendments to Rishi Sunak's Rwanda deportation bill. Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith resigned from their posts following a rebellion of 60 Conservative MPs who voted for changes aimed at hardening the legislation.
The amendments, proposed by Bill Cash and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, sought to limit legal challenges and appeals against deportation to Rwanda. Both were defeated with Labour opposition. Among the rebels were Suella Braverman, Jenrick, and Liz Truss.
Kemi Badenoch's parliamentary private secretary, Jane Stevenson, also resigned after voting against the party whip. Meanwhile, Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr criticised government plans to recruit judges for asylum appeals, stating that judicial deployment should remain independent.
In their joint resignation letter, Anderson and Clarke-Smith said they had consistently argued for watertight legislation and that the current bill would not work. They praised Sunak's work on illegal migration but insisted on supporting the amendments for credibility.
The prime minister faces another Commons battle on Wednesday at the bill's third reading. About a dozen Tory MPs have publicly stated they will vote against it, though government insiders believe the rebellion lacks the numbers to defeat the legislation.
