Suella Braverman: Tories face 'electoral oblivion' if Rwanda bill fails

The Conservative Party faces "electoral oblivion" if the government's Rwanda legislation is "destined to fail", Suella Braverman has warned.

The ex-home secretary told MPs the bill must block all routes of legal challenge to allow flights to take off.

Last month the UK's Supreme Court ruled plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda were unlawful.

The government is expected to publish emergency legislation, designed to address the court's concerns.

In a personal statement to the House of Commons after she was sacked from her cabinet role last month, Mrs Braverman said she welcomed the decision to introduce emergency legislation but said "we are running out of time".

"The Conservative Party faces electoral oblivion in a matter of months if we introduce yet another bill destined to fail," she told MPs.

"Do we fight for sovereignty or do we let our party die?"

Mrs Braverman said the bill must deliver on the prime minister's pledge to stop small boats crossing the Channel and set out a number of tests she said it must meet to do this.

These included addressing the Supreme Court's concerns about the safety of Rwanda and "blocking off all routes of challenge" to enable flights carrying asylum seekers to the east African country before the next election.

Although Mrs Braverman said she supported leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), she said this was not the only way to stop the boats.

"I accept that the government won't do that and that it is a debate for another day," she added.

Instead she proposed that the bill should override the UK's Human Rights Act, the ECHR and other international law.

"The powers to detain and remove must be exercisable notwithstanding the Human Rights Act, the European Convention on Human Rights, the Refugee Convention, and all other international law," she said.

She added that Parliament should be prepared to sit over Christmas to pass the bill.