The ruling Conservative party in the UK is facing internal discord following the government's publication of emergency legislation aimed at implementing a controversial deportation scheme to Rwanda. The move has prompted the resignation of immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who expressed strong disagreements with the government's direction on immigration policy.

The proposed "Safety of Rwanda Bill" is a response to a November 15 ruling by the UK Supreme Court, which deemed the government's plan to send thousands of asylum seekers and migrants to Rwanda as unlawful. In an effort to expedite the legislation, the draft bill bypasses certain sections of the Human Rights Act (HRA) and disregard interpretations of international law by courts and tribunals.

Additionally, the bill grants courts the power to ignore injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights, thereby facilitating the deportation flights. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has heralded the emergency law as a means to prevent the deportation scheme from being entangled in court proceedings.

In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Jenrick cited the proposed laws as "a triumph of hope over experience." This remark is seen as a reference to Sunak's refusal to withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The release of the legislation coincided with British Home Secretary James Cleverly's visit to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where he signed a new treaty outlining commitments on the treatment of asylum seekers and migrants sent to Rwanda. However, Rwanda's Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta cautioned that any violations of global conventions could lead to the withdrawal of Rwanda from the Migration and Economic Development Partnership agreement.

The success of the Rwanda deportation plan is critical to Sunak's immigration policy and could significantly impact the fortunes of the Conservative Party, which currently lags behind by approximately 20 points in opinion polls ahead of the expected elections next year. Immigration remains a major concern among voters.

The prime minister, whose parents immigrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s, has pledged that deportation flights will commence in the spring of next year. The initial agreement, signed in April 2022, stipulates that some asylum seekers arriving in the UK via the English Channel would be sent to Rwanda for the processing of their asylum claims.

This controversial plan faced legal challenges, with a London Court of Appeal ruling on June 29, 2022, declaring it unlawful under the Human Rights Act. A subsequent attempt to carry out the first deportation flight was thwarted by an injunction from the ECHR on June 14, 2022.

In its recent ruling, the UK Supreme Court concluded that the UK is bound by various conventions, including the refugee convention, which deems the Rwanda plan illegal due to the potential for human rights abuses in Rwanda or the refugees' home countries. The United Nations refugee agency has presented evidence of Rwanda violating the non-refoulement rule in a previous agreement with Israel.

The current state of disarray within the Conservative party reflects deep divisions over the government's immigration policies and the disputed deportation plan to Rwanda. As the emergency legislation moves through the House of Commons, the outcomes of this contentious scheme and its impact on the Conservative party's electoral prospects will undoubtedly be closely watched.