Rishi Sunak’s pyrrhic victory on Rwanda
The British prime minister defeats his internal critics, at a heavy price
THE DICTIONARY definition of “pyrrhic” just gained a new example. On January 17th Rishi Sunak secured a comfortable victory when MPs voted in favour of the third reading of the Safety of Rwanda Bill, a piece of legislation designed to unblock a totemic government scheme to deport asylum seekers to Kigali. For weeks Mr Sunak’s internal critics had rattled their sabres and issued chilling war cries. In the end Conservative rebels were scattered: the bill cleared the House of Commons with only 11 Tory MPs voting against it. The prime minister can claim victory. But it has been a costly week for his authority.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Pyrrhus would be proud”
Britain January 20th 2024
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From the January 20th 2024 edition
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