Climate minister Graham Stuart makes 6,824 mile round trip for Rwanda vote

Graham Stuart has been representing the UK at the Cop climate summit

Climate Minister Graham Stuart flew back from the COP28 conference in Dubai to take part in a crunch Commons vote on the government's Rwanda bill.

Mr Stuart is due to return to the Dubai summit after the vote - a round trip of 6,824 miles.

Despite speculation it would be tight, the government comfortably won the vote, with a majority of 44.

Most Tory MPs - including Mr Stuart voted in favour of it - and none voted against.

There were a number of high-profile abstentions, including former ministers Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, with more rebellions expected in the new year.

Right-wing critics of the bill fear it does not go far enough to prevent legal challenges to asylum seekers being sent to Rwanda.

In a further sign of government nerves ahead of Tuesday night's vote, Tory MPs on the International Development Committee had to cancel a fact-finding trip to the Caribbean after party managers refused to grant them permission to miss the vote.

Downing Street confirmed that Mr Stuart was returning to take part in the vote, adding: "Ministers have a number of roles, the negotiations continue and he will return to COP."

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Asked about the carbon emissions from the flights, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "This government is not anti-flying.

"We don't lecture the public to that regard. The most important thing is the outcomes of COP, which minister Stuart is obviously leading for the UK on."

Chiara Liguori, Oxfam's senior climate change policy advisor, said: "There can be no more tragic outcome for UK climate diplomacy than this - flying home from talks to avert a climate catastrophe at the most critical moment in an attempt to salvage a cruel and impractical policy."

A government spokesperson said: "There will continue to be full official representation on the ground at the summit, including by Lord Benyon at ministerial level."

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "I guess they can say at least one flight has taken off as a result of this legislation."

Labour voted against the Rwanda bill and says it would scrap the policy if it wins the next election.

Delegates at COP28 are awaiting the publication of the next draft version of the final agreement, with the deadline having passed on Tuesday morning.

The previous version published on Monday made many countries and NGOs furious for excluding a commitment to phase out fossil fuel use, suggesting instead that countries "could" do so within an undefined time.