Instead of a Conservative housing policy that emphasises home ownership and architectural beauty, it will now be done the Labour way. When tower blocks start rising over the Home Counties, I hope that our remaining MPs realise their mistake.
The logic of the choice remains as Ken Clarke put it – Rwanda or nothing. Sir Keir has swallowed much in his pursuit of power, but Rwanda is a mouthful too much for him, or at least for his party. So he’s trying to bluff his way out of the problem.
The Veterans’ Minister adds that “it’s a really difficult policy area” but that 400 people are being housed and he is “really proud of the effort.”
If Sunak doesn’t commit the Conservatives to leaving, and then somehow wins the next election, the next Leader of the Opposition will take up the cause.
Our deputy editor tells Newsnight that the controversy about housing illegal entrants in hotels will continue until the Government bites the bullet and builds a proper asylum estate.
His university-educated opponents will view him as a relic of the past. I see his refusal to stay on message as the shape of things to come.
Labour are happy to hammer the Government for it’s lack of progress, but lack any convincing alternative plan to make the system effective and bring numbers down.
The Refugee Council, my organisation, will continue to oppose this legislation both because we think it’s a stain on this country’s record of supporting those in need, and because it will do nothing to reduce the number of boats.
When our political class feels that it cannot act, it cobbles together ad-hoc explanations for why its apathy is actually cunning strategy, hard-headed pragmatism, or just somehow grown-up.
Why should a previous government’s commitment to the international community trump (in practice if not in legal theory) a later government’s commitments to the British people?
I believe that the Government understands that these new arbitrary powers could end up creating unintended consequences – particularly if victims fail to cooperate because of their fear of what would happen to them.
The more totemic this legislation appears, the higher will be public expectations of it. Even if it passes, will Rishi Sunak be able to persuade voters it was worth the wait?
At last night’s Onward event, Damian Green claimed David Cameron’s “tens of thousands” pledge had been a political success. What decade has he been living through?
Immigration is currently the third most important issue for all voters and the second most important for the people who voted Tory in 2019 – the people Rishi Sunak must win back if he is to have any chance of retaining power.
Immigrants, too, get old. Assuming standards of medical care remain, or improve as the science advances, enormous movements of migrants would be constantly required just in order to pay the bills of earlier waves.