It would have been better if the Home Secretary and Prime Minister had agreed both the policy and the way to explain it. As I understand it the policy was heavily influenced by Downing Street who ruled out the amendment many of us wanted to the Immigration Act to ensure the small boats can be stopped without ECHR override. The Home Secretary was more sympathetic, understanding the need to be sure she could deliver what is after all the Prime Minister’s promise, to stop the small boats.
The Prime Minister now needs to hope the courts are kind to him this week when we hear the result of the further UK appeal against his policy. There still remains open the possibility of someone trying to use the European Court of Human Rights as well, which is why it would have been better to have made the legislation ECHR court proof. If the purpose of the law is not clearly enough set out for the Supreme Court in the UK then obviously amended law should be able to fix that. They should put through a simple amendment as quickly as possible.
Let us hope a Cabinet of people the PM feels happy with can deliver the five pledges the Prime Minister has made. He also needs to make sure the Cabinet has a wide enough range of views so the debate is worth having and the conclusions more to the liking of the audience outside.
I think it wrong to appoint David Cameron to the Lords and Cabinet. We need a Foreign Secretary in the Commons and one who is a strong believer in Brexit UK developing her role in the world, taking advantage of our new Brexit freedoms.
