UK PM Sunak’s authority faces test in showdown over Rwanda asylum plan

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a major parliamentary showdown on Wednesday over his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, with many of his own lawmakers threatening to rebel after they lost an initial bid to toughen his proposed law.
The government comfortably defeated amendments to strengthen the bill late on Tuesday that had been backed by almost a fifth of lawmakers from Sunak’s Conservative Party. But he only won because most opposition parties voted against the rebels, whose action has again exposed deep divisions in the governing party.
The Conservative rebels, who backed changes to close what they say are loopholes in the legislation, will now have to decide whether to back down, or join forces with opposition parties to try to defeat the government at the law’s final stage in the House of Commons, known as a third reading.
While one senior rebel lawmaker said the group had enough backing to defeat the government, some centrist Conservatives believe only a small number will vote against the legislation mindful of pressure from voters to tackle migration.