Suella Braverman compared to Putin over ‘Rwanda solution’ – latest

Former home secretary Suella Braverman has been compared to Vladimir Putin for urging the prime minister to scrap “all avenues” of legal challenge available to asylum seekers facing deportation to Rwanda.

Tory MP Damian Green said Ms Braverman’s proposal was the most “unconservative statement” he had “ever heard” from a Conservative politician.

“The second test is the most unconservative statement I have ever heard from a Conservative politician. Giving the state explicit power to override every legal constraint is what Putin and Xi do. We absolutely cannot go there,” Mr Green said on X, formerly Twitter.

A former Home Office permanent secretary said he would not advise the government to remove the right of asylum seekers to appeal against deportation to Rwanda.

Asked what he would advise the Home Secretary to do following the Government’s defeat in the Supreme Court over it’s Rwanda proposal, Sir David Normington told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: “I certainly wouldn’t advise them to want to try to use Parliament to set aside the law, to override it.

“Suella Braverman is right, in one way, that it is going to be very, very difficult to get people coming across on boats to Rwanda this side of an election,” Sir David said.

“I think that anything that is done is going to be subject to legal challenge. Therefore, I think there is no option, myself, if they insist on passing the legislation, to take the cases through the court and to fight the cases. I don’t think that there is a way of stopping appeals.

“One of the things we keep hearing, and this is Suella Braverman’s latest idea, is that we should remove all appeals, that we should close off all routes.”

Labour rebels who quit or were sacked over a rebellion on the question of a ceasefire in Gaza could rejoin Sir Keir Starmer’s top team after the election, the shadow defence secretary has suggested.

It comes as the party seeks to play down talk of divisions after Sir Keir lost 10 members of his front bench in a major revolt over the Israel-Hamas war. A total of 56 Labour MPs voted for an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech backing a ceasefire.

Jeremy Hunt has warned those who “coast” on benefits will lose handouts if they refuse to take a job as part of a new crackdown.

The former foreign secretary was speaking at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and National Police Chiefs Council joint summit when he said: “I want you to feel that you can speak with me and my team at the Foreign… Old habits die hard” as laughter broke out in the audience.

It comes after Mr Cleverly insisted ministers are “absolutely determined” to get a removal flight to Rwanda before the next election after the deportation policy was ruled unlawful.

The new home secretary certainly isn’t the first politician to regret an off-the-cuff remark – but he’d better get used to what is his (and his government’s) Ratner moment, writes Paul Clements.

Read Paul’s full piece here:

As James Cleverly adopts an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ approach to defending the unlawful and unworkable Rwanda plan, the Conservatives have gone through the looking glass… again, says Sean O’Grady.

Read Sean’s full piece here:

The rebellion over the call for an Israeli ceasefire is no threat to the leader, but his handling of it could be, writes John Rentoul.

Read John’s full piece here: