Rwanda Supreme Court ruling LIVE: ‘Ignore the law and send them’ says Tory deputy chair Lee Anderson

A defiant Rishi Sunak has vowed to change the law and do “whatever it takes” to stop small boats crossing the channel, just hours after the Supreme Court ruled his Rwanda deportation plan is unlawful.

Facing MPs at PMQs he said he was prepared to “revisit domestic legal frameworks” and “international relationships” if they continue to “frustrate” plans to deport asylum seekers.

“The British people expect us to do whatever it takes to stop the boats. And that is precisely what this government will deliver,” Mr Sunak said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister should apologise to the country for blowing £140m on the failed scheme and “wasting his entire time in office”.

“He has wasted all of his time on a gimmick and now he is absolutely nowhere,” the Labour leader said.

However the prime minister responded that “this government has done more to tackle illegal migration than any in the past”.

It comes after justices at the UK’s highest court ruled Mr Sunak’s Rwanda deportation plan was unlawful and that flights will not be able to go ahead, in a blow to the prime minister’s key pledge to cut immigration to the UK.

Key Points

Sunak’s Rwanda plan in tatters after Supreme Court rules it unlawful

Rishi Sunak: ‘This was not the outcome we wanted… but we will stop the boats’

Rwanda asylum plan: Timeline of government’s policy to deport migrants

Kim Darroch: ‘PM must resist calls to quit ECHR’

Refugee charity Care4Calais: Ruling a ‘victory for humanity’

Rishi Sunak: ‘Government working on new Rwanda treaty’

12:40 , Archie Mitchell

Rishi Sunak said the government is working on a “new” treaty with Rwanda that would address the concerns of the Supreme Court.

The prime minister said judges “acknowledged that changes can be delivered to address those issues”.

“The government has already been working in advance on a new treaty with Rwanda to address the concerns that have been raised, that were raised previously and that were raised by the Supreme Court,” Mr Sunak said.

Sunak told to ‘get planes in the air’ as furious Tory MPs blast Rwanda Supreme Court ruling

12:29 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak was told to ignore the law and “get the planes in the air” by the deputy chairman of the Conservative party as he faced a furious backlash from Tory MPs over his failed bid to deport migrants to Rwanda.

As the prime minister came under increasing pressure from within his own ranks, senior Tories warned the court ruling was a challenge to “who governs Britain”.

One former cabinet minister also suggested he could submit a letter of no confidence in Mr Sunak’s leadership after his flagship small boats policy was declared unlawful.

Boost for Rishi Sunak as he meets pledge to halve inflation

Starmer accuses Sunak of ‘fanboying’ over Musk in heated PMQs exchange

12:28 , Joe Middleton

PMQs: Starmer – A pound for every Sunak reset would solve the cost of living crisis

12:20 , Archie Mitchell

Sir Keir Starmer has said that if Britain had a pound for every time Rishi Sunak has reset his government “the cost of living crisis would have been over long ago”.

The Labour leader said the prime minister has had three reshuffles, a forgotten conference speech, an empty King’s speech and has even found time to fanboy Elon Musk.

Sir Keir said: “He likes to think of himself as the man from Silicon Valley, the tech savvy in California, the country’s first AI PM, and yet his big idea is to keep turning his government on and off in the hope that we’ll see signs of life”.

He referenced an PMQs joke used by David Cameron against Tony Blair in 2005, asking if Mr Sunak was starting to feel “he was the future once”.

The prime minister highlighted that he had met his pledge to halve inflation.

PMQs Keir Starmer – ‘Rishi Sunak should apologise for Rwanda gimmick’

12:12 , Joe Middleton

Sir Keir Starmer has urged Rishi Sunak to apologise to the country for blowing £140m on the failed Rwanda deportation scheme and “wasting his entire time in office”.

“He has wasted all of his time on a gimmick and now he is absolutely nowhere,” the Labour leader said.

The prime minister insisted “this government has done more to tackle illegal migration than any in the past”.

PMQs: Keir Starmer – The government has wasted taxpayer funds on Rwanda scheme

12:11 , Joe Middleton

The Labour leader said Mr Sunak has bet everything on his “gimmick” Rwanda deportation policy and wasted taxpayer funds.

“The central pillar of his government has crumbled beneath him”, he added.

The prime minister retorts by attacking Mr Starmer for being in a cabinet with Jeremy Corbyn.

(Sky News)

PMQs: Rishi Sunak – ‘I am prepared to revisit legal frameworks’

12:05 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak has said he is prepared to “revisit domestic legal frameworks” and “international relationships” if they continue to “frustrate” plans to deport asylum seekers.

“The British people expect us to do whatever it takes to stop the boats. And that is precisely what this government will deliver,” Mr Sunak told MPs.

Jonathan Gullis: ‘Time to start pushing small boats back’

12:04 , Joe Middleton

Jonathan Gullis has called for Rishi Sunak to roll out a “plan B” quickly to “deliver on the pledge to stop the boats”.

The right-wing Tory MP backed the idea of pushing small boats back into French waters, where French authorities would have to pick them up.

He also supported a so-called “notwithstanding” clause, which would stop international treaties from blocking a given British law.

Mr Gullis said: “We can use powers to push back in the sea as Australia did… regardless of any conflict that may end up with the French government.”

He added: “What the United Kingdom Government has to do in my opinions have a full deep dive review into all our obligations within international treaties and conventions.”

PMQs has started…

12:01 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak is speaking now and said his committment to stopping the small boats is “unwavering”.

Miriam Cates: ‘British parliament does not run Britain’

11:56 , Archie Mitchell

Right-wing Tory MP Miriam Cates said people have been asking “who runs Britain?” since 2016, and “we are still asking that question today”.

“This is an incredibly significant moment, equally as significant as any moment during the Brexit wrangling, because this judgement shows that the British parliament does not run Britain.” she said.

Ms Cates, a member of the New Conservatives group of MPs, said: “So we’ve got to take decisive action, [stopping the boats] is one of our key promises to the electorate, and it speaks to all the wrangling and the arguments for the last seven years.”

The backbencher refused to say she had confidence in the prime minister, saying only that Rishi Sunak “said he will do what it takes” to deliver on his immigration promise.

Labour: ‘Rishi Sunak has completely failed’

11:48 , Archie Mitchell

Labour savaged the prime minister over the failure of the Rwanda migration plan and called on ministers to “stop chasing headlines and unworkable gimmicks”.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the “damning judgement exposes Rishi Sunak’s failure to get any grip or have any serious plan to tackle dangerous boat crossings”.

“Labour argued from the start this plan is unworkable and extortionately expensive, now it has been confirmed as unlawful because the government failed to ensure they had a robust and workable policy,” she said.

Ms Cooper added: “The Conservatives have broken our asylum system leading to a record asylum backlog, with 175,000 stuck in limbo, costing British people £8 million a day in hotel bills.

“With 615 small boat crossings last Sunday alone, the government must stop chasing headlines and unworkable gimmicks, and urgently adopt Labour’s plan to reduce the backlog and for a cross-border police unit to go after the criminal gangs.”

Tory deputy chairman: ‘Ignore the law and send them to Rwanda anyway’

11:38 , Joe Middleton

Lee Anderson has called for the government to “get the planes in the air and send illegal immigrants to Rwanda” despite the Supreme Court ruling it would be illegal.

The Tory deputy chairman opened up a rift with Rishi Sunak, saying “we should ignore the law”.“I’ve said it from day one, when you get to this country on a boat you are breaking the law, you are breaking into this country,” Mr Anderson said.

“There is a reason that every person in this room shuts their back door at nighttime and locks it, it’s because you don’t want intruders coming in there,” he added.

Mr Anderson said: “ These people are intruders and we need to send them back the same day.”The outspoken senior Tory said: “The British people have been very patient with this, I’ve been very patient and now they’re demanding action.

“And this has sort of forced our hand a little bit now.”

Supreme Court ruling a ‘serious challenge to who governs Britain’, says former cabinet minister

11:24 , Kate Devlin

Former cabinet minister Simon Clarke said the ruling was a “serious challenge to who governs Britain”.

He called for emergency legislation saying the policy would happen “not withstanding” the ECHR.

He added that “withdrawal” from the ECHR may also have to be considered.

The government needs a ‘serious, credible alternative to the Rwanda agreement’, says think-tank IPPR

11:14 , Joe Middleton

Responding to today’s Supreme Court ruling that sending thousands of migrants to Rwanda would be unlawful, Marley Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and communities said: “Today’s ruling will send the government back to the drawing board as it wrestles with how to respond to the small boat crossings.

“While the government may do its best to resurrect the Rwanda plan or find deals elsewhere, there is little prospect of success in the short term. It may be lawful in principle to relocate people to third countries, but the Rwanda saga shows how hard it is to find a country which is both willing to accept large numbers of asylum seekers from the UK and which has a safe, well-functioning asylum system.

“Now is the time for a serious, credible alternative to the Rwanda agreement. IPPR has put forward a three-point plan that focuses on safe routes to divert people away from dangerous Channel crossings, new deals with France and the EU on asylum, and reforms to our asylum system to get the backlog under control. It’s time for the government to adopt it.”

Rishi Sunak: ‘This was not the outcome we wanted… but we will stop the boats’

11:01 , Archie Mitchell

Rishi Sunak said the Supreme Court’s ruling was disappointing but insisted the government has planned “for all eventualities”.

Vowing that ministers will still “stop the boats”, the prime minister highlighted the judges’ confirmation that deporting illegal migrants to safe third countries is lawful.

The statement raises the prospect of the government striking deals with new countries aside from Rwanda, or strengthening its agreement with Rwanda to secure judges’ approval.

Mr Sunak said: “This was not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and we remain completely committed to stopping the boats.

“Illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We need to end it and we will do whatever it takes to do so.

“Because when people know that if they come here illegally, they won’t get to stay then they will stop coming altogether, and we will stop the boats.”

Tory MP: Rwanda policy ‘at an end’

10:57 , Archie Mitchell

The Tory MP for Dover and Deal has said the Supreme Court ruling means the Rwanda policy is “effectively at an end”.Natalie Elphicke, a major campaigner on channel crossings, said: “No planes will be leaving and we now need to move forward.”

She said the decision will “embolden the people smugglers and put more lives at risk”.And Ms Elphicke called for a new cross-channel agreement “to stop the boats leaving and return those that do to the safety of the French coast”.

“That should be David Cameron’s top foreign policy priority,” Ms Elphicke said.

Landmark judgement should serve as a ‘wake-up call’ for government say International Rescue Committee

10:55 , Joe Middleton

The Supreme Court’s judgement should serve as a “wake-up call” to the government who should now focus on clearing the asylum backlog and creating more safe routes, the International Rescue Committee has said .

Laura Kyrke-Smith, Executive Director of International Rescue Committee UK, said: “We already knew the Rwanda plan was needlessly cruel and expensive, and now the Supreme Court has ruled it unlawful too.

“This landmark judgment must serve as a wake-up call to the Government to abandon its pursuit of ineffective deterrence measures, and deliver a pragmatic, humane, and lawful asylum system instead.

“They must now urgently focus on clearing the asylum backlog, strengthening the asylum system, and scaling up safe routes.”

Supreme Court judgement ‘huge blow’ to Sunak’s ‘stop the boats’ pledge

10:47 , Kate Devlin

This unanimous judgement is a huge blow to Rishi Sunak’s pledge to ‘stop the boats’.

Justices found there was a real risk that genuine asylum seekers would be returned to the home country from which they fled – by Rwanda.

In their judgement they also warn that Rwanda has a 100 per cent rejection rate for asylum seekers from conflict zones including Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.

And they said that British police have had to warn Rwandan nationals living in Britain of credible plans to kill them “on the part of (the Rwandan) state”.

Supreme Court accepts evidence of UNHCR in ruling against government

10:44 , Holly Bancroft

In their unanimous judgement, the Supreme Court made clear that they accepted the weight of the evidence provided by the refugee agency UNHCR.

They criticised the divisional courts for failing “to give proper consideration to the UNHCR’s evidence” which was crucial to proving that the Rwandan asylum system was not fit to process claims.

What weight to put on the UNHCR evidence has been an issue of contention in the courts, with one of the judges in the Court of Appeal ruling that the government’s assessment trumped concerns expressed by the refugee agency.

The Supreme Court has instead agreed with the UNHCR in their assessment that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers.

Watch: Moment Supreme Court ruling on government’s Rwanda asylum policy passed down

10:42 , Joe Middleton

The UK Supreme Court has ruled the government’s Rwanda plan is unlawful in a blow to Rishi Sunak after home secretary Suella Braverman’s sacking.

Judges ruled on Wednesday 15 November that flights will not be able to go ahead, leaving the prime minister’s key pledge to cut immigration to the UK in tatters.

The unanimous ruling agreed with a Court of Appeal decision in June that found Mr Sunak’s £140m deal was unlawful because of deficiencies in the Rwandan asylum system.

The plan is a core part of the prime minister’s pledge to stop small boat crossings.

Moment Supreme Court ruling on government’s Rwanda asylum policy passed down

‘Cruel and unworkable plan receives the ultimate judgment it deserves’, says human rights charity ActionAid

10:40 , Joe Middleton

International human rights charity ActionAid said Mr Sunak’ “cruel” and “unworkable” Rwanda deportation plan received “the ultimate judgment it deserves.”

Halima Begum, CEO of ActionAid UK, added: “Since its very inception, legal experts and campaigners have been absolutely clear that this inhumane policy is incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations.

“The Supreme Court ruling, which follows the Court of Appeal judgment earlier this year, sees British values of compassion and dignity and the countless refugees with valid asylum claims, vindicated.“

Liberal Democrats: ‘So much time and money wasted’

10:34 , Archie Mitchell

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the amount of time and money wasted on the government’s Rwanda asylum plan.

Home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: “It was clear from the get-go that the Conservatives’ Rwanda scheme was destined to fail. Not only is it immoral, unworkable and incredibly costly for taxpayers – but the Supreme Court has confirmed that it’s unlawful too.

“So much time and money has already been wasted. It’s time for James Cleverly to get serious and get on with fixing the broken asylum system.

“Tackling the sky-high asylum backlog and creating safe and legal routes for sanctuary will make far more progress towards that than this pet project policy ever could.”

Civil service union: ‘Fight against govt refugee policies is far from over’

10:32 , Joe Middleton

Civil servants union the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) welcomed the ruling, but warned its campaign against the government’s “anti-refugee agenda” is “far from over”.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “It is not refugees that have driven down wages and starved public services of the resources they need – it is the fault of successive Tory governments that have overseen a sustained attack on living standards.

“The only way to protect human life and prevent people from drowning in the Channel is to give them safe passage, which we call on the government to adopt.”

Refugee charity Care4Calais: Ruling a ‘victory for humanity’

10:30 , Joe Middleton

Refugee charity Care4Calais has described the Supreme Court ruling as a “victory for humanity”.

Chief executive Steve Smith said: “This grubby, cash-for-people deal was always cruel and immoral but, most importantly, it is unlawful.

“Today’s judgement should bring this shameful mark on the UK’s history to a close. Never again should our Government seek to shirk our country’s responsibility to offer sanctuary to those caught up in horrors around the world.”

Rwanda asylum plan: Timeline of government’s policy to deport migrants

10:28 , Joe Middleton

The Rwanda deal to deport asylum seekers has been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court, in a major blow to Rishi Sunak’s flagship plan to cut immigration.

Flights will remain suspended after judges at the UK’s highest court concluded it is not a safe country to receive those claiming refuge.

It comes after the Court of Appeal ruled in June that sending anyone to Rwanda would be in breach of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as there was a “real risk” they could be returned to their home countries to face “persecution or other inhumane treatment”.

Rwanda asylum plan: Timeline of government’s policy to deport migrants

Kim Darroch: ‘PM must resist calls to quit ECHR’

10:25 , Archie Mitchell

Britain’s former UK National Security Advisor Kim Darroch welcomed the ruling, saying the Rwanda plan was “unworkable in every sense”.

Lord Darroch, chairman of the Best for Britain campaign group, said: “The Prime Minister should reflect carefully on this judgement and resist calls from within his party to leave the ECHR which will do little to stop dangerous Channel crossings but which would undermine the Good Friday Agreement and put the UK alongside Russia and Belarus as the only European countries not party to the convention.”

Sunak’s Rwanda plan in tatters after Supreme Court rules it unlawful

10:23 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak’s flagship plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is in tatters after the Supreme Court ruled it is unlawful.

The UK’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that flights will not be able to go ahead in a blow to the prime minister’s key pledge to cut immigration to the UK.

The unanimous ruling by judges agreed with a Court of Appeal decision in June that found that Mr Sunak’s £140m deal was unlawful because of deficiencies in the Rwandan asylum system. The lower court found that sending anyone to Rwanda would be in breach of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as there was a “real risk” they could be returned to their home countries to face “persecution or other inhumane treatment”.

Holly Bancroft has the latest from the Supreme Court:

Sunak’s Rwanda plan in tatters after Supreme Court rules it unlawful

The government’s Rwanda policy is unlawful, say the Supreme Court

10:19 , Joe Middleton

The government’s Rwanda policy is unlawful says the UK Supreme Court in a landmark judgement.

The Supreme Court has started to deliver its judgement…

10:02 , Joe Middleton

Watch live as Supreme Court delivers ruling on government plan to deport migrants to Rwanda

09:56 , Joe Middleton

Watch live as the UK Supreme Court delivers its ruling on whether the government can go ahead with its controversial plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.

Live: Supreme Court delivers ruling on government plan to deport migrants to Rwanda

Boost for Rishi Sunak as he meets pledge to halve inflation

09:51 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak has already had some positive news this morning after inflation fell to 4.6 per cent, meaning his pledge to halve the rate at which prices are rising has been met.

The inflation rate when Mr Sunak made it the first of his five priorities was over 10 per cent, meaning he was hoping for a it to drop below 5 per cent.

Read the latest below:

Boost for Rishi Sunak as he meets pledge to halve inflation

What will the Rwanda policy court ruling mean for the government?

09:38 , Joe Middleton

Victory for ministers would represent a rare high-profile achievement for Rishi Sunak’s administration – and could even give sacked Suella Braverman something to crow about, says Sean O’Grady

What will the Rwanda policy court ruling mean for the government?

What happened last month at the Supreme Court?

09:31 , Joe Middleton

The Independent’s social affairs correspondent Holly Bancroft has posted a useful thread on X summarising what happened the last time the government was at the Supreme Court for its controversial migration scheme.

Timeline of Sunak’s Rwanda scheme

09:24 , Joe Middleton

Want to know how we got here? Below is a timeline of events leading up to this morning’s decision from the Supreme Court…

Timeline of Rwanda asylum plan as Supreme Court prepares to pass verdict

Bitter Braverman’s brutal revenge on Sunak the ‘failure’

09:22 , Joe Middleton

Suella Braverman has branded Rishi Sunak a failure and accused him of betraying a secret deal on small boats in a blistering attack that once again plunged the Conservatives into open warfare.

In an incendiary letter a day after she was sacked as home secretary, Ms Braverman told the prime minister he had “manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver” on key policies.

She also accused him of leaving the country in an “impossible position” with no “credible Plan B” just hours before a crunch court ruling on his flagship Rwanda plan.

Bitter Braverman’s brutal revenge on Sunak the ‘failure’

Good morning

09:20 , Joe Middleton

Hello and welcome to our blog covering all the action in Westminster and beyond today. Shortly the Supreme Court will deliver its judgement on whether Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda policy is lawful.

It comes just a day after former home secretary Suella Braverman warned he has no credible back-up to “stop the boats”.