Analysis: MP Warns Immigration Plan is Tories’ “Last Chance Saloon” as Pollster Predicts Historic Defeat

Grassroots members of the Tory party have offered mixed reactions to the proposals, while come critics have called for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s removal.

A Tory MP has said that backing the prime minister’s new immigration plan is a “last chance saloon,” and a prominent pollster has warned that unless the Tories “get serious” on immigration, they could be heading for a historic defeat.

A resolute Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to press ahead with the contentious Rwanda asylum scheme despite facing fierce opposition within his own party. The Tory leader, navigating a potential parliamentary battle, made a plea to the Labour Party on Thursday, acknowledging the pivotal role it plays in the fate of his proposed legislation.

Daniel Kawczynski, Conservative MP for Shrewsbury, told The Epoch Times that despite holding “reservations” about Rwanda, he felt that there was “no other alternative” but to vote for the prime minister’s bill.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick resigned in protest on Wednesday against a plan he believed was destined for failure. Mr. Sunak, undeterred, emphasised that the new law aims to put an end to the “merry-go-round of legal challenges.”

Prominent academic and director of PeoplePolling, Matt Goodwin, delivered a stark warning about the possibility of the next election being a “historic” defeat for the Tories.

The government is racing to push emergency legislation through Parliament, seeking approval for MPs and peers to declare Rwanda as a safe destination for asylum seekers. However, Tory hardliners may seek to bolster the bill, advocating for measures that could effectively override international law.

Those in the grassroots of the Tory party are mixed in their approval for the scheme, with David Moore, senior political analyst at the socially conservative Orthodox Conservatives Group think tank telling The Epoch Times, “We have to be bold, hold our Conservative banner high, and leave the ECHR [European Convention on Human Rights] and reform the institutions blocking the democratic mandate.”

Mr. Sunak’s critics have begun to expect his removal, with former Tory Andrew Bridgen, now an MP for the Reclaim Party, telling The Epoch Times: “I expect a vote of no confidence and a leadership challenge. I would urge potential leadership candidates to adopt the policies I and Reclaim have stood up for.”