Rishi Sunak: PM urges House of Lords to support Rwanda bill during Downing Street press conference

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the House of Lords to back the controversial Rwanda bill after it was voted through the House of Commons in the face of a Tory rebellion.

During a press conference at Downing Street on Thursday morning (January 18), Sunak urged the Lords to "do the right thing" and support the bill to not "try to frustrate the will of the people". The Rwanda bill was voted through by 320 to 276 in the House of Commons during a vote on Wednesday evening (January 17), despite some high profile Tory MPs voicing their intent to rebel.

Sunak said: “There is now only one question. Will the opposition in the appointed House of Lords try and frustrate the will of the people as expressed by the elected House, or will they get on board and do the right thing? It’s as simple as that.”

He added that the vote last night showed that the party was "completely united in wanting to stop the boats". The row over the bill, which some on the right of the party claim doesn't go far enough, saw high-profile figures such as party deputy chairmen Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith step down from their roles, stating that “whilst our main wish is to strengthen the legislation, this means that in order to vote for amendments we will therefore need to offer you our resignations from our rules”.

In response to speculation that some party colleagues have submitted letters of no confidence in the Tory leader over the handling of the Rwanda bill, Sunak told reporters: “I’m interested in sticking with the plan I set out for the British people because that plan is working.

“It is delivering real change, and if we stick with that plan, we’ll be able to build a brighter future for everyone’s families in this country and a renewed sense of pride in our nation. The Conservative Party is completely united in wanting to deliver for the country, cut their taxes and, crucially, to stop the boats.”