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NOT with a bang but with a whimper. That’s how the much-heralded Tory rebellion on Rwanda went this week.
Remember they weren’t rebelling on moral grounds – apart from your odd Tory wet like Alicia Kearns or Caroline Nokes – but on the basis the legislation was insufficiently tough.
Thing is, they could be right on a practical level. Tory hardliner Robert Jenrick, one of just 11 Tory MPs to vote against the bill on Wednesday night, has repeatedly said he believes the bill remained vulnerable to legal challenges without his amendments.
I won’t bore you with the details of them but if Jenrick is right, then there will be no flights to Rwanda. Bad news for him, good news for virtually everyone else.
There had been speculation Wednesday’s vote could have been a major test for the Prime Minister, with more than 60 of his MPs backing rebel amendments to the bill.
Eventually those hollow men and women backed down in the hours before the vote, possibly scared that voting against a key piece of government legislation could see them losing the whip.
But that apparently hasn’t stopped them from attacking Rishi Sunak behind his back, with one prominent backbencher claiming at least 29 of her colleagues had submitted no-confidence letters to the men in grey suits.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak laughs at and ignores voter in 'appalling' Sky News clip
And that’s all before it goes to the House of Lords, who are widely expected to tear the legislation to shreds. Sunak isn’t out of the woods yet.
But we got an illuminating insight today into how he may fare during this year’s election campaign when he laughed in the face of an old lady expressing concerns about the state of the NHS. Charming stuff.
Indyref2 bid
Elsewhere in a freezing Palace of Westminster this week, Alba MP Neale Hanvey’s bid to give Scotland the powers to hold another independence referendum was defeated.
The party were pretty delighted it actually went to a vote but Hanvey was defeated 228 votes to 48.
More Labour MPs voted against the bill than Tory MPs. Make of that what you will.
Another Labour U-turn
Finally, Keir Starmer performed yet another U-turn when he switched Labour’s position on the recognition of Palestine.
Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour were committed to recognising Palestine as a state on day one of forming a government.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer urged to recognise state of Palestine
But Starmer has ruled this out, saying instead it would now be a “process” towards recognition.
Starmer clarified his remarks during a briefing after PMQs, when a party spokesperson said recognition would come at the point where Britain, with other countries, would decide to recognise a Palestinian state when one would be viable. The Palestinians might not be holding their breath for that.
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