JENRICK QUITS IN REVOLT OVER PM'S RWANDA DEAL

RISHI Sunak was rocked by a Cabinet resignation last night after urging his party to "unite or die" over his plan to send Channel boat migrants to Rwanda.

- Martyn Brown

Robert Jenrick dramatically stood down as Immigration Minister hours after the Prime Minister had unveiled emergency legislation to get deportation flights to Africa in the air by the spring. Mr Sunak described the draft Bill, which gives him the power to overrule meddling European judges, as the "toughest immigration legislation ever".

He insisted the radical package, combined with a new beefed-up treaty with Rwanda, was necessary to crack the migrant crisis.

However, Mr Jenrick's resignation was confirmed in the Commons not long after Mr Sunak's plea for unity.

Mr Jenrick argued the draft Bill did not provide "the best possible chance of success" and insisted he could not support it.

In his resignation letter to the PM, Mr Jenrick said: "I cannot continue in my position when I have such strong disagreements with the direction of the Government's policy on immigration." He said the small boats crisis was doing "untold damage" to the country.

He added: "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.