Tory row brewing over Sunak pledge to end small boat crossings

Read More

A row is brewing within the Conservative party over Rishi Sunak’s promise to end small boat crossings in the Channel, as backbench MPs warn the prime minister not to wriggle out of a pledge he made earlier this year.

Sunak announced in January he would bring an end to the small boat crossings, which have escalated rapidly over the past four years, with more than 45,000 people having made the crossing last year.

But Tory MPs are at odds with Downing Street over when that pledge is due to be realised, with the row threatening to undermine talks between ministers and a group of rebel backbenchers who want the government to toughen up its illegal migration bill.

A spokesperson for the rebels said: “We understood the speech [in January] was crystal clear that we are going to stop the boats by the end of the year. Stop the boats, halve inflation, grow the economy – these were all promises to be fulfilled by the end of the year.”

Downing Street said on Wednesday this was not the case. The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “We haven’t set a deadline for it. We recognise that it’s a complex problem, and obviously some of the elements that we believe will solve it are subject to judicial challenge.”

The increase in small boat crossings has created a big headache for the government. Sunak dwelt on the issue at length in his January speech, but the ambiguity of his promise has caused problems for Downing Street since.

The prime minister said at the time: “We will halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. Those are the people’s priorities, they are your government’s priorities, and we will either have achieved them or not.”

Since then ministers have unveiled a new immigration bill that would order the detention of anyone entering the UK across the Channel. On Wednesday, Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, announced additional plans to house asylum seekers in army bases and potentially on barges and ferries.

The government’s plans are under threat on two fronts: first, from critics who say they are illegal and have promised to challenge them in the courts and, second, from Conservative MPs who want them to be even tougher.

One group of Tory rebels, led by the Devizes MP Danny Kruger, had intended to propose an amendment to the illegal migration bill when it was debated in the Commons this week, which would have banned judges from issuing last-minute injunctions to stop deportations.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

They were persuaded to back down after ministers and Downing Street officials assured them their concerns would be reflected in later versions of the bill. The rebel MPs are due to hold talks with the government over the Easter recess, which begins on Thursday.

However, those close to the talks say the positive atmosphere that ministers have generated so far risks being undermined by the row over the prime minister’s pledge and when it applies.