Rishi Sunak: UK will tear up laws and challenge judges on Rwanda plan

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday afternoon, after the Supreme Court blocked Tory plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, the Prime Minister vowed he would introduce “emergency legislation” to push through the scheme.

And he vowed to take on the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if it again attempted to block deportation flights to the country.

Human rights campaigners have declared the ruling a "victory for humanity", but it has infuriated Tory MPs with hard line stances on immigration. 

Danny Kruger, the co-chair of the New Conservatives, a pressure group of right-wing MPs, has said the issue was an "existential" one for his party. 

The PM said the Government had been working behind the scenes on a new international treaty with Rwanda which he will put to Parliament for approval.

It will enshrine in law – if passed by MPs – that those deported to Rwanda will not be removed from the country  if that would be unsafe for them, he said.

READ MORE:  Tories claim public wants to 'ignore' Supreme Court ruling

Sunak said: “We will take the extraordinary step of introducing emergency legislation. This will enable Parliament to confirm that with our new treaty Rwanda is safe.

"It will ensure that people cannot further delay flights systemic challenges in our domestic and stop our policy being repeatedly blocked.”

European challenges

The Supreme Court on Wednesday morning declared the Rwanda plan unlawful primarily on the grounds it risked asylum seekers being sent to unsafe countries after being deported there. 

This was informed both by the standards enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and British law. 

Earlier, Home Secretary James Cleverly (below) suggested it was not necessary for Britain to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights.  

But Sunak later vowed he would take on European human rights judges if they attempted to block the policy again. 

He said: "We must be honest about the fact that even once Parliament has changed the law here at home, we could still face challenges from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

READ MORE: Hard-right Tories urge Rishi Sunak to overrule courts after Rwanda defeat

“I told Parliament earlier today that I’m prepared to change our laws and revisit those international relationships to remove the obstacles in our way.

“So let me tell everybody now, I will not allow a foreign court to block these flights.

“If the Strasbourg court chooses to intervene against the expressed wishes of Parliament, I am prepared to do what is necessary to get flights off.

“I will not take the easy way out.

“Because I fundamentally do not believe that anyone thinks the founding aims of the European Convention on Human Rights was to stop a sovereign Parliament removing illegal migrants to a country deemed to be safe in parliamentary statute and binding international law.”

Ignore the courts? 

Sunak defended Lee Anderson, the deputy chair of the Conservative Party, who earlier on Wednesday insisted the UK Government should simply ignore the court judgment and start deportations. 

He said: "I think what Lee’s comments and indeed the comments of others do is reflect the strength of feeling in the country on this issue.

“And I absolutely share actually in the frustrations that my colleagues and indeed people across the country have about this issue. Everyone should understand the strength of feeling.”

Flights will begin deporting migrants to Rwanda in early spring, Sunak insisted when asked whether the plan would be enacted before the next General Election.