Inside Politics: ‘Drop in the ocean’
Criticism of government’s Rwanda asylum seeker plan grows with reports saying scheme will cost £30,000 per person, writes Matt Mathers
Happy Easter weekend. Unless of course, you are Boris Johnson, or a backbench Tory MP still feeling the heat over the prime minister’s Covid law-breaking. Johnson goes into the holidays with questions remaining over his future and will be preparing for a difficult few days in the Commons next week when he addresses MPs to “set the record straight” on his previous Partygate statements to the House. That will reignite claims by opposition parties that he misled parliament and therefore must resign. In his political career, Johnson has come back from the dead on several occasions before. But will he be resurrected from the Partygate scandal? Only time will tell.
Inside Politics will be back in your inbox on Tuesday following the bank holiday.
Inside the bubble
Parliament is in recess.
Daily Briefing
- ‘DROP IN THE OCEAN’: If Boris Johnson’s Rwanda asylum seeker plan was intended to distract from the Partygate scandal then it is certainly having the desired effect. The story lead most news outlets throughout the day yesterday and is all over the front pages again this morning. Much of the debate continues to be centred around whether or not the proposals are workable under the UK’s international obligations, and the prime minister in a speech yesterday conceded that the government, whose international ambassador for human rights criticised Rwanda on its record only 10 months ago, is likely to be challenged in the courts. According to The Times, which says the PM wants the first flight to leave within weeks (just in time for the May local elections), it will cost the taxpayer an eyewatering £30,000 to send each migrant 6,000 miles away to Africa. Priti Patel, the home secretary, claimed the cost of the scheme is a “drop in the ocean” when compared with the current system, following comments by Andrew Mitchell, the Tory MP and former international development secretary, who said it would be cheaper to send each applicant to the plush Ritz hotel.
- ROLL UP, ROLL UP: The Independent is launching a new US news newsletter bringing the biggest stories, exclusives and explainers to your inbox. Details of how to sign up here.
- CRUNCH TIME: Former Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan has announced he is standing down as MP for Wakefield following his conviction for a child sex assault offence. His resignation triggers an explosive by-election in the West Yorkshire seat, which was one of the traditional Labour strongholds in the so-called Red Wall, which fell to Boris Johnson’s Tories in the 2019 general election. The contest will be a crucial test of Sir Keir Starmer’s ability to win back the Red Wall and of the extent to which the prime minister’s appeal has been tarnished by his police fine over a lockdown-breaching party in 10 Downing Street.
- RUSSIANS ALL AT SEA: Following claims by Ukraine that it struck Russia’s Moskva cruiser with missiles, Moscow last night confirmed that the vessel has sunk. According to Russia’s ministry of defence, the 510 crew boat went under in “stormy seas” as it was being towed back to port in the Black Sea. The Kremlin has not reported any attack and the official line remains that the vessel was damaged by a fire caused by the explosion of its ammunition stocks on Wednesday. Either way, the sinking of the Moskva, Russia’s flagship cruiser in its Black Sea fleet, is another huge blow for the Kremlin, which has suffered a number of humiliating military setbacks since it invaded Ukraine on 24 February. In an update earlier, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the sinking of the Moskva – and the downing of Russia’s alligator-class landing ship Saratov on 24 March – means the Kremlin is likely to “review its maritime posture in the Black Sea.” We’ll have all the latest from Ukraine on our liveblog.
- GROWING DISCONTENT: The PM has promised to address parliament next week about his fine for breaching Covid laws to “set the record straight in any way that I can” on his previous claims that no rules were broken. Although Partygate has been knocked off the top spot domestically, the scandal is not going anywhere just yet and several more Tories came out yesterday to either criticise Johnson or call for him to quit. Former cabinet minister Karen Bradley was among those to voice concerns about the PM’s leadership, branding his behaviour during lockdown “unforgivable”.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
On the record
“You are going to have to wait until I come to parliament, when of course I will set the record straight in any way that I can”.
Johnson on Partygate.
From the Twitterati
“Here comes a by-election just when the PM really doesn’t need one…”
ITV UK editor Paul Brand.
Essential reading
- John Rentoul, The Independent: Boris Johnson’s speech on asylum. What he said – and what he meant
- James Forsyth, The Times: PM’s survival is now out of his hands
- Laurie Laybourn, The Guardian: Incredibly, current climate pledges could keep heating below 2C – but our work isn’t over
- Gordon Brown, The Independent: How we plan to indict president Putin at the International Criminal Court
Sign up here to receive this free briefing in your email inbox each weekday
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments