Conservative MP Mark Garnier says One Nation Tories will “stick with” the bill in the Commons tonight – but will drop their backing if the prime minister makes any deals with right wingers to toughen it up.
Speaking to Sky News, he says he is “pretty sure” Rishi Sunak will succeed in making sure the Rwanda law passes its second reading – saying he will support it himself.
“We are slightly uncomfortable with certain elements of the bill,” he adds, “but at the end of the day we are happy to support this bill as it stands”.
Mr Garnier says: “I am not a lawyer, but I have obviously been taking advice from colleagues of mine who really understand the details… and, generally speaking, they are happy.
“At the end of the day, the legal right of asylum seekers, when it comes to those who are in imminent danger, those are going to be protected and that is important for people like me.
“But… we also recognise we have got to create some kind of deterrent to bust the business model of the gangs and this is as good a deterrent as we can come up with in relatively short order.”
However, Mr Garnier adds a warning to Number 10, saying: “What we are reluctant to do is support it if it is amended in future [parliamentary] rounds to harden it up.
“We are pretty clear, we will have to see what is being proposed. But right now, the statement from the One Nation group is if it is tightened, if we are uncomfortable with that, we cannot support it.”
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