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.
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.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that mass immigration is not the economic silver bullet the Treasury believe it is.
As my old friend Ken Clarke said last week, opponents of the policy have not come up with any practicable alternative to it.
The Conservative MP for the Vale of Glamorgan says that he “originally had some concerns” about the policy but now believes that “Lefty lawyers” are wrong to obstruct it.
The case hinges on Rwanda’s capacity to deliver the necessary safeguards, not on any claim that the entire policy is a breach of international law.
If net migration were to fall only to 488,000 we would be looking at an extra twelve million people and the need for 200,000 new homes a year – roughly 550 a day.
Above all, they shouldn’t become preoccupied with Woke to the exclusion of everything else. This is the trap that many Labour backbenchers and much of the Left is falling into.
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.