Kemi and Gove’s Cabinet clash on Rwanda

When the Rwanda Bill had its second reading in the House of Commons just before Christmas, there was a revolt on the right of the Tory party. A group of legal experts, with the self-appointed ‘Star Chamber’ title, were convened by Eurosceptic MPs. They declared that Rishi Sunak’s plan was not ‘sufficiently watertight’ to allow deportations to take place, with too many legal loopholes vulnerable to exploitation. They said they would vote against the bill unless changes were made. In the end, Sunak faced down the rebels; only a small number came out against him.

Soon after the vote, the cabinet met. Michael Gove was quick to congratulate the Prime Minister, contrasting the findings of the ‘Star Chamber’ unfavourably with the verdict of Lord Sumption, a former Supreme Court justice, who had argued Sunak’s policy would work. ‘He was effectively making fun of the Tory right,’ says one attendee.