LAST DITCH BID TO WIN OVER REBELS

Foreign Secretary urges MPs to back 'Rwanda plan that will stop the boats'

- Sam Lister

LORD Cameron has urged warring Tories to unite behind Rishi Sunak as his premiership is tested to its limits.

The Foreign Secretary insisted that laws aimed at getting migrant deportation flights to Rwanda off the ground "will stop the boats". 

His intervention came on a day of high drama in Westminster as Tory rebel factions called for the Bill to be ditched. Mr Sunak faces a vote tonight that he must win to keep the plans - and his time as PM - on track.

Former PM Lord Cameron said: "If we want to stop the boats, to stop this illegal migration, you simply have to have a strong deterrence policy."

Tougher

Mr Sunak received a boost last night as centrist Tory MPs from the 100-strong One Nation group agreed to back the Safety of Rwanda Bill's second reading today.

But the PM has a difficult meeting this morning with the New Conservatives faction - mainly MPs for Red Wall areas which is demanding even tougher legislation to defeat the Channel people smugglers.

A source for the group warned last night: "We have got the numbers" to defeat the Bill - and they suggested that the PM would scrap today's vote. After a meeting attended by ex-Home Secretary Suella

Braverman and Robert Jenrick, who resigned from his immigration minister job last week, they called for "major surgery" to the Bill.