Robert Jenrick's resignation features prominently on the front pages of Thursday's papers - along with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Covid inquiry appearance.

Tories in turmoil, is the headline in this morning's Guardian.

A huge image of Suella Braverman dominates the front of the Daily Telegraph as it says Jenrick failed in his bid to persuade Rishi Sunak to give ministers powers to "ignore the European Convention on Human Rights".

According to the Financial Times the emergency legislation, published last night, does ignore "swathes of international law" - but supporters of the PM say it's "at the max" of what he could do.

Thursday's Daily Mail leads with an editorial comment under the catching headline as it asks: "Will the Tories ever give up fighting each other and start fighting Labour?"

• You can read a full round-up of Thursday's papers here

It was meant to be an opportunity for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to shore up the government’s Rwanda asylum policy after the Supreme Court ruled that it was unlawful.

Instead yesterday's big reveal was ultimately overshadowed by Robert Jenrick quitting as immigration minister.

In his resignation letter he said the bill “does not go far enough” and was "a triumph of hope over experience".

In response, the prime minister said Jenrick’s departure was “disappointing” and based on a “fundamental misunderstanding of the situation”.

Last night's events led some figures in the Conservative Party to speculate about Sunak’s future.

One MP told our political editor Chris Mason they wouldn't be surprised if there was now a vote of no confidence in his leadership.

Rob Corp
Live reporter

Good morning and welcome back as we resume our live coverage following last night's dramatic resignation of immigration minister Robert Jenrick.

Jenrick quit after saying the government's emergency Rwanda legislation - published as a draft bill on Wednesday - did “not go far enough".

The resignation is a blow to Rishi Sunak and his attempts to shore up the government’s asylum policy, aimed at deterring people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Coming up later this morning we’ll hear from Suella Braverman, who will be on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Braverman has been an outspoken critic of the government’s immigration policies after she was sacked as home secretary last month.

We'll be pausing our coverage shortly, but before we go, let's take a quick look at some of the main developments from this evening:

Robert Jenrick has resigned as immigration minister saying the government's emergency Rwanda legislation "doesn't not go far enough".

He called the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats a "national emergency" and insisted the only way to stop it was by introducing a "major new deterrent".

In his resignation letter to Rishi Sunak, he warned the next general election was at stake.

But in his reply to Jenrick, Sunak said his resignation was "disappointing", and that he fears the move was "based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation".

We also heard from some senior Tory MPs, who said they were questioning Sunak's approach to dealing with migration. One MP said they wouldn't be surprised if there was a vote of no confidence.

You can read our full story on how the situation unfolded here.

This page was brought to you by Heather Sharp, Paul Gribben, Emily Atkinson, Aoife Walsh and Nathan Williams. Thank you for joining us.

Tory mood bleak as Sunak struggles to progress Rwanda policypublished at 22:32 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2023

22:32 GMT 6 December 2023

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, Reuters

This is a dangerous moment for Rishi Sunak.

We've seen a letter tonight from Sunak to Robert Jenrick, claiming that this is the toughest piece of illegal migration legislation ever put forward by a UK government.

He argues that the government couldn't have gone further because the Rwandan government had said it didn't want the UK to go further. And Rwanda has said publicly that anything the UK does has to be compatible with international law.

It gives you a sense that the government is trying to find a navigable path that works legally, practically and politically to try and progress the Rwanda policy and they are struggling.

Then there is the bigger picture: hundreds of Conservative MPs and millions of voters want to see things done on migration.

The PM's big selling point a year ago, to his party and to the country, was that he had put a cork on the chaos of what had gone before with Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

That cork feels like it's whizzing over the garden fence when things like the events of tonight happen.

One senior Conservative said to me tonight that they don't think Sunak would lose a vote of confidence, but they wouldn't be surprised if there was one.

Another said there's loads of Conservative MPs who feel they've got nothing to lose, and so they are willing to contemplate any option.

There is often loads of talk of this kind of thing, and it never comes to something. But it is a measure of the mood, and the mood of the Conservative party is bleak.

An ally of Suella Braverman's has called Rishi Sunak's assertion that the Rwandan government would not accept legislation that could be in breach of international law as "totally ridiculous".

The source said the idea had been "cooked up" and was not mentioned in government until two days ago.

They said the PM's argument was a "desperate" move from a government in its "death throes".

Rwanda's foreign affairs minister Vincent Biruta has said that "without lawful behaviour by the UK", Kigali would have withdrawn from the deal.

"It has always been important to both Rwanda and the UK that our rule of law partnership meets the highest standards of international law, and it places obligations on both the UK and Rwanda to act lawfully," he said.

"Without lawful behaviour by the UK, Rwanda would not be able to continue with the Migration and Economic Development Partnership."

Lawyers say draft Rwanda law has potential to cause 'politically explosive fight'published at 21:55 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2023

21:55 GMT 6 December 2023

Dominic Casciani
Home and legal correspondent

Expert lawyers who have been involved in the Rwanda case - or supported the challenge to the policy - have described the legislation as potentially setting up a politically explosive fight with both the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.

In last month’s Supreme Court ruling, five justices unanimously ruled that the country was not safe - and they listed the detailed evidence about how its asylum system was deeply flawed.

The key element of the government’s package tries to deal with this part of the defeat by asking Parliament to declare Rwanda to be "conclusively" safe and simultaneously banning British judges from ever saying it is not.

That is aimed at preventing the courts from once again considering documented evidence about injustices in Rwanda’s asylum system. Taken to a hypothetical extreme, if Rwanda exploded with civil war like in 1994 (not something currently likely to happen), British law would still state the country was a safe place to send people.

Read more: What's in the new Rwanda bill and why is it controversial?

Image source, PA Media

A senior Tory MP has told the BBC that "lots of MPs are concerned about their seats and the polls".

They said MPs are "rapidly forming the view the current management is not performing and will not deliver an election win”.

"The danger is we get a confidence vote by accident because if one MP says 'I’m putting my letter [of no confidence] in' others do too," they added.

Although the MP was critical of the Rwanda Bill, they said a confidence vote would not help things.

The MP said they want Rishi Sunak to "do better and listen to us".

"I actually want him to win the next general election, but frankly to please both wings of the party on an issue like this is impossible, and that’s where leadership is important."

Image source, X/Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick described the government's emergency Rwanda bill as "a triumph of hope over experience" but said that draft legislation published this afternoon "does not go far enough".

Here are some of the key points from his resignation letter to Rishi Sunak:

• Jenrick said he was unable to take the legislation through the House of Commons because he doesn't think it provides the government "with the best possible chance of success"
• He warned Sunak that the "fortunes of the Conservative Party at the next election are at stake"
• Jenrick said he refuses to be "yet another politician who makes promises on immigration to the British public but does not keep them"
• He called the number of people crossing the Channel "a national emergency that is doing untold damage" to the country, and insisted the only way to stop it completely "is by urgently introducing a major new deterrent"
• Jenrick says the government said "we would stop the boats altogether" and that is what the public "rightly demands and expects of us".
• The government should do whatever it takes to deliver this commitment, Jenrick wrote, adding that emergency legislation is "the last opportunity to prove this", but it currently "does not go far enough"

Read the full letter here.

Conservatives in state of turmoil as Sunak loses key allypublished at 21:24 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2023

21:24 GMT 6 December 2023

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

This week ministers were trying to get on the front foot on migration.

Two weeks ago official figures revealed there was record high net migration last year. So on Monday they announced plans that the government said would cut net migration by 300,000 compared to last year.

On Tuesday, Home Secretary James Cleverly travelled to Kigali to sign a new treaty addressing the Supreme Court's concerns on the Rwanda policy, after judges ruled it unlawful last month.

And then today the government published a draft bill aimed at preventing what they said was the "merry-go-round" of legal challenges.

But the effort to tackle immigration ends with the resignation of the immigration minister - the man who, until a few hours ago, would have steered the new bill through the Commons.

This evening the Conservative Party is in a state of turmoil. The prime minister has lost someone who was once a key ally.

And some Tory MPs are questioning his whole approach on migration. The question now is whether Sunak can persuade his critics to get behind him, and his plan to lower immigration.

Robert Jenrick has resigned as immigration minister, saying the government's emergency legislation "does not go far enough" to cut migration figures.

Here's the latest top lines:

• Jenrick said he could not continue in his position because of his "strong disagreements" with the direction of the government's migration policy
• In his resignation letter to Rishi Sunak, he said he was unable to take the proposed emergency legislation through the Commons as he doesn't believe "it provides us with the best possible chance for success"
• Rishi Sunak described Robert Jenrick's resignation as immigration minister as "disappointing", telling him in a letter he fears it was "based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation"
• The Lib Dems said Jenrick's resignation was evidence that Sunak "is no longer in control of his party". Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said his departure is "a sign of total chaos in the Tory party"
• Home Secretary James Cleverly paid tribute to Jenrick in the Commons, saying his work on the Rwanda plans has been "absolutely instrumental"
• Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who was a parliamentary private secretary to Jenrick, said "well done" to him for resigning

More now from Rishi Sunak's letter to Robert Jenrick following his shock resignation this evening.

He begins by thanking the former immigration minister for his "service in government", but adds: "I fear that your departure is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. It is our experience that gives us confidence that this will work."

On the Rwanda bill, Sunak says it's "the toughest piece of illegal migration legislation ever put forward by a UK government", and warns: "If we were to oust the courts entirely, we would collapse the entire scheme."

"The Rwandan government have been clear that they would not accept the UK basing this scheme on legislation that could be considered in breach of our international law obligations," he says.

"There would be no point in passing a law that would leave us with nowhere to send people to."

In his closing remarks, Sunak says: "I know that you have more to contribute and that you will continue to represent your constituents in Newark and Bingham with dedication and determination."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described Robert Jenrick's resignation as immigration minister as "disappointing", telling him in a letter he fears the move was "based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation".

Robert Jenrick resigned after the government published a draft law aiming to enable the government's flagship Rwanda policy to go ahead.

The proposed legislation gives ministers the power to disregard parts of UK human rights law, but Jenrick says it does not go far enough.

So what's in the bill?

• The legislation aims to address the concerns of the Supreme Court, which last month ruled plans to send some asylum seekers to the east African country were unlawful
• The bill, which must be voted on by Parliament, orders the courts to ignore key sections of the Human Rights Act in an attempt to sidestep the Supreme Court's existing judgement
• It also orders the courts to ignore other British laws or international rules - such as the international Refugee Convention - that stand in the way of deportations to Rwanda
• The bill allows ministers to ignore any emergency order from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to temporarily halt a flight to Rwanda while an individual case is still being considered - but it stops short of disapplying the whole of the European Convention on Human Rights (EHCR)
• It also allows migrants to legally challenge their removal to Rwanda on specific individual grounds, if they can prove that being put on a plane would leave them at real risk of serious harm
• The draft legislation carries a rare legal warning that it may not be compatible with minimum human rights safeguards.

Read more about the bill here.

Image source, Getty Images

More reaction now from shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who says Jenrick's departure during the Commons announcement of the new Rwanda draft legislation is "a sign of the total chaos in the Tory party" and "complete collapse of Rishi Sunak’s leadership".

She adds: "It shows how incredibly weak the prime minister is that he is telling his backbenchers that the only reason he hasn’t gone further is because the Rwandan government told him not to break international law."

Cooper claims that the PM "is incapable of maintaining our border security, incapable of drawing up a workable plan to stop dangerous boat crossings, and incapable of leading a government. Britain deserves better than this.”

Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who was a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Robert Jenrick, has said "well done" to him for resigning.

In a post on X, external, Jenkyns says she has seen his "strength and how he stood up to civil servants", adding: "I know what a decent man he is and how he adores his family."

"This may be the death knell for Sunak's leadership," she writes.

Image source, Getty Images

Here’s a quick reminder of Jenrick’s background and political career up until this point:

Jenrick, born in Wolverhampton on 9 January, 1982, grew up in Shropshire and attended Wolverhampton Grammar School. He studied history at St John's College, Cambridge, and went on to work as a solicitor in London and Moscow.

He then moved into business, becoming an international managing director of the auction house Christie's.

But politics beckoned and, in 2014, he became an MP after he successfully stood in a by-election in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

He served briefly on the health select committee before working as an aide to ministers. In January 2018, the then Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

Just 18 months later, when Boris Johnson took over from May, he promoted Jenrick to secretary of state for housing, development and local government - a role he held until 2021.

Last year, Liz Truss appointed Jenrick as a health minister during her brief stint as prime minister. That October, when Rishi Sunak replaced her as PM, he made Jenrick immigration minister.

Image source, BBC Parliament

Earlier, before Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed Jenrick's resignation, MPs pressed him about the rumours they were hearing - and Jenrick's absence.

Sir Chris Bryant for Labour complained in the Commons that the home secretary had "twice refused to answer the question of whether the immigration minister has resigned, but he has, hasn't he?".

He continued: "And can he just tell us, has he resigned because he thinks that this policy doesn't stand an earthly chance of working, or has he resigned because he's embarrassed that a British government would actually put ministers above the law?

"In other words, has he resigned because he thinks this policy is crazy or because he doesn't think it's crazy enough?"

In his resignation letter, Jenrick tells the PM he refuses "to be yet another politician who makes promises on immigration to the British public but does not keep them".

As well as writing about illegal immigration, he also comments on the package of measures the government announced on Monday to reduce legal migration.

This "must be implemented immediately via an emergency rules change" and should be accompanied by reforms at the start of next year "to ensure we meet the 2019 manifesto commitment that every single Conservative MP was elected upon", Jenrick says.

As he writes about his time in the Home Office, Jenrick says progress has been made in tackling illegal migration, but adds that the government "said that we would stop the boats altogether".

"That is what the public rightly demands and expects of us," he adds.

"We must truly mean that we will do 'whatever it takes' to deliver this commitment when we say so. This emergency legislation is the last opportunity to prove this, but in its current drafting it does not go far enough."

Here's a little more from Jenrick's resignation letter, external - he says the draft Rwanda asylum bill published today does not go far enough.

"The stakes for the country are too high for us not to pursue the stronger protections required to end the merry-go-round of legal challenges which risk paralysing the scheme and negating its intended deterrent," he writes.