The View from Westminster

Thursday, December 7, 2023 Rishi Sunak tries to hold his party together The prime minister held a news conference in No 10 to advertise his peevishness at Robert Jenrick's treacherous refusal to accept that the Rwanda bill is the most workable form of the legislation.  He said that he would not make the vote on Tuesday on the principle of the bill an issue of confidence, which would be a blunt instrument for forcing the Braverman-Jenrickists to fall into line, saying that rebels would not be allowed to stand as Conservative candidates.  Professor Philip Cowley has a short thread on Twitter explaining that this probably means that Rishi Sunak accepts the risk of losing the vote, but does not want to trigger an early general election.  But if the government does lose the vote, what then? It would be a vote against reality in the sense that Jenrick's alternative plan, insofar as it can be deduced from his resignation letter, would not work. One Nation Tory MPs wouldn't vote for it; the House of Lords wouldn't pass it; and Rwanda would pull out of the treaty.  Quiz question  Which company, originally a brewery, owns Premier Inn? Answer at the bottom of today's email Daily briefing Gasps as Boris Johnson snaps at Covid inquiry lawyer over death toll Pete Weatherby KC, representing Covid Bereaved Families for Justice, provoked the former PM Sunak begs Labour to back Rwanda plan and as Tory revolt grows PM under pressure after immigration minister quits after saying bill to fix Rwanda plan won't work Rishi Sunak faces grilling at Covid inquiry next week PM will be asked about his 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme at Monday's all-day hearing Most commented Articles driving the biggest conversations Samir Shah, the new BBC chair, is co-author of Boris's controversial race report 'Keep your apology!' The day Boris got a mauling… from the public What else do you need to know today? ● The Sainsbury family drama posted another instalment with Lord (John) Sainsbury leaving the Tories £10m in his will (although not for general spending: it is earmarked for candidates' bursaries), to try to cancel out the millions his cousin Lord (David) Sainsbury has given Labour over several years ● Iain Martin quite rightly objected to the use of the "star chamber" phrase by Tory Eurosceptics, who use it to refer to a team of legal experts: "They are parliamentarians and should know the term is not a compliment – the Star Chamber under Charles I was an instrument of arbitrary rule that helped cause the Civil War" ● Robert Jenrick was replaced by two ministers, one for legal immigration (Tom Pursglove) and one for illegal immigration (Michael Tomlinson) Reading list ● I wrote last night about Robert Jenrick's resignation: his proposals for the Rwanda bill are unworkable, but he was upset not to be home secretary when Suella Braverman was sacked, so he did the destructive thing ● This morning I answered readers' questions about Boris Johnson's Covid inquiry appearance, as he continued his evidence this morning; I'm not sure many readers were persuaded of my view that the inquiry is a waste of time and money, but George Osborne agrees with me (see Quotation of the Day, below) ● Kate Ng: I'm a 'foreign spouse'. Why are we being punished for falling in love? Inside the bubble A look back at the week in Westminster The Commons is not sitting tomorrow, so that is it for another four-day week. This was the week when the media built itself up into a state of huge anticipation for Boris Johnson's evidence to the Covid inquiry, but it was soon overshadowed by Suella Braverman's resignation speech, itself quickly overtaken by Robert Jenrick's resignation.  Meanwhile, Keir Starmer tried not to attract too much attention at Prime Minister's Questions, because the Conservatives are doing such a fine job of opposing themselves.  Quotation of the Day "I'm not sure at the moment – it's still got years to run, this inquiry – that we're getting any closer to answering these basic questions: was it right to lock down schools or did that do too much damage to people's education?" George Osborne to Ed Balls on their podcast Quiz answer: Whitbread. Premier Inn accounts for most of its earnings The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 Join the conversation or follow us Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email   You are currently registered to receive The Independent's View From Westminster newsletter.   To unsubscribe from The Independent's View From Westminster newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345 Read our privacy notice and cookie policy