PM Sunak To Hold Presser @ 1100GMT Amid Conservative Party Unrest

PM Rishi Sunak will hold a press conference at 1100GMT (0600ET, 1200CET) - LINK HERE- amid unrest within his governing centre-right Conservative Party regarding immigration and legislation related to the planned deportation of some asylum seekers to Rwanda in an effort to deter small boat crossings of the English Channel.

• On 6 Dec Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned, piling more pressure on Sunak from the right, following on from his dismissal of the outspoken Suella Braverman as home secretary in November.
• Jenrick's resignation followed the unveiling of a bill in parliament that the gov't insists will allow it to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, following the signing of a treaty with Kigali. The gov't argues the law will supersede the decision of the Supreme Court, which in November ruled against the gov'ts deportation plans. Jenrick argued the legislation "does not go far enough" in deterring illegal immigration.
• While this may not prove an imminent threat to gov't stability, opinion polling shows Sunak's Conservatives trailing the opposition centre-left Labour Party by ~20%. The seeming disarray within the Conservatives could sustain the party's poor ratings having two potential implications of note: firstly, pushing back the date of the next general election to late-2024 or even Jan 2025. Secondly, raising the prospect of a formal leadership challenge to Sunak before the election.