NAMED: The 37 MPs who abstained from Sunak's Rwanda vote… and Braverman leads the pack
A total of 37 Conservative MPs abstained from yesterday's vote on the Government's Rwanda Bill, including former Home Secretary Suella Braverman
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A total of 37 Conservative MPs abstained from yesterday's vote on the Government's Rwanda Bill, including former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.
While the Government's Bill passed its second reading with a majority of 44 - by 313 votes to 269 - a significant number of MPs abstained due to concerns over the legislation.
Ahead of the vote, Mark Francois, chair of the European Research Group, warned that the group would "collectively" not be supporting the Bill.
The 37 MPs who abstained also included eight who didn't rebel, but were unable to vote so were paired with opposition MPs.
WATCH: Mark Francois says 'we cannot support the Bill tonight'
Tory abstainers:
- Suella Braverman (former Home Secretary)
- Robert Jenrick (former Immigration Minister)
- Mark Francois (European Research Group Chairman)
- David Jones (European Research Group Deputy Chairman)
- John Hayes (Common Sense Group Chairman)
- Bill Cash
- Miriam Cates (New Conservatives co-chair)
- Danny Kruger (New Conservatives co-chair)
- Jake Berry
- Simon Clarke
- Theo Clarke
- Sarah Dines
- Rehman Chishti
- Richard Drax
- James Duddridge
- Tobias Ellwood
- Natalie Elphicke
- Jo Gideon
- Chris Green
- Jonathan Gullis
- Adam Holloway
- Tom Hunt
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Caroline Johnson
- Marco Longhi
- Craig Mackinlay
- Julie Marson
- Stephen McPartland
- Robin Millar
- Jill Mortimer
- Caroline Nokes
- Jesse Norman
- Dan Poulter
- John Redwood
- Andrew Rosindell
- Alok Sharma
- Chris Skidmore
Addressing reporters just fifteen miniutes before the vote, Francois said: "We have decided collectively that we cannot support the Bill tonight because of its many omissions.
"Therefore, while it is down to every individual colleague, ultimately, to decide what to do, collectively we will not be supporting it."
Francois also claimed Sunak is "prepared to entertain tightening the Bill".
However, the Prime Minister could face a difficult third reading with MPs on the left and right openly discussing voting down the Bill before it passes through the Commons.
Speaking after the vote, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "Tonight the House has shown its support for the Prime Minister's legislation to deem Rwanda safe and stop the boats.
"This bill is the toughest legislation ever introduced to parliament.
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"It deems Rwanda safe notwithstanding any other interpretation of international law and it makes clear that this parliament, not any foreign court is sovereign.
"We will now work to ensure that this Bill gets on to the Statute book so that we can get flights off to Rwanda and stop the boats."