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The former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick have both said the Rwanda bill would not work
The Daily Telegraph leads on an article by the former immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, who argues that integrating migrants into British society is impossible while the numbers are so high. I
n his first comments since resigning from the government over the Rwanda bill, he says the Tories will face the “red-hot fury” of voters if they do not bring down high levels of immigration.
Mr Jenrick attacks Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda legislation, saying it does not go far enough and predicts it will result in “some symbolic half-filled deportation flights” due to what he calls a “merry-go-round” of legal challenges.
The paper believes the critique will provide ammunition for right-wing MPs preparing to vote against the bill at its second reading next week.
The Times reports that the government’s own legal advisers have put the chances of flights taking off for Rwanda next year at 50% at best under Rishi Sunak’s emergency legislation. The paper says ministers have been told the law leaves a significant risk of flights being blocked by the European Court in Strasbourg.
A government source tells the paper the bill goes “as far as it can” within international law and “therefore ensures we can get flights off to Rwanda next year”.
The i says a group of 30 backbenchers is plotting to derail the legislation in a “Brexit-style campaign”.
The cost of the Rwanda scheme is the lead story in the Guardian. It reports that the Tories are “in disarray” over the plans and the Home Office has been ordered to disclose how much it is costing.
It describes the permanent secretary at the department, Sir Matthew Rycroft, as being “hauled” before the public accounts committee on Monday after the initial spending rose from £140 to £290m.
Disruption of vital trade routes is putting Christmas supply chains at risk, according to the Financial Times. The paper says a drought in the Panama Canal and attacks on cargo vessels near the Suez Canal are constraining maritime traffic. T
he head of a group representing British importers tells the FT that consumer electronics such as iPhones may not be readily available and some companies are finding it hard to acquire Christmas decorations.
The headline in the Daily Mail warns of a “Christmas mail fiasco”. It says Christmas cards, and letters about cancer appointments, are piling up in sorting offices, while postal workers are told to prioritise what the paper calls “money-spinning parcels” such as Amazon deliveries.
Insiders have told the Daily Mail that the delivery of tens of millions of Christmas cards will be “sacrificed” in favour of packages. The Royal Mail denies having a policy to prioritise parcels, but says they may need to be cleared first to free up space in small sorting offices.
“Get Me Out Of Here!” is the declaration on the front page of the Daily Express, but it is nothing to do with celebrities in the jungle.
It reports that five million Brits are treating themselves to a Christmas getaway with Spain, Greece and the Caribbean the most popular destinations. The paper sees it as a possible sign of renewed consumer confidence.
And the Daily Star has another Christmas scare story, reporting an apparent shortage of professional Santas to work in stores and shopping centres.
