Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain is currently facing numerous challenges, including a significant deficit in the polls and a pressing cost-of-living crisis. However, his biggest concern this week stems from the “five families,” a loose coalition of right-wing factions within his own Conservative Party. These factions, reminiscent of the organized crime families that once dominated New York City, are once again threatening to undermine his asylum policy.
The fact that these potential Tory rebels have chosen to align themselves with the notorious five families speaks to both the enduring popularity of mob movies like “The Godfather” and the lawmakers’ own perception of themselves as tough political figures. However, it is worth noting that most leaders of the real five families either ended up dead or in prison.
Despite this, the label of the five families has stuck, and this week, the rebels have returned with a sequel to their previous campaign to pressure Mr. Sunak into toughening legislation that would result in the deportation of asylum seekers who arrived in the UK via small boats. Similar to December, there have been late-night meetings, hastily arranged media briefings, defiant social media posts, and offers to Mr. Sunak that he cannot refuse.
Once it is all said and done, with a parliamentary vote expected on Wednesday evening, the prime minister is anticipated to narrowly maintain his Rwanda policy.
However, this recurring drama highlights a Conservative Party that is divided into multiple rival factions, with some lawmakers seemingly more focused on plotting their own futures rather than uniting the party for the upcoming election against the opposition Labour Party.
Guto Harri, a former director of communications for Boris Johnson during his time as prime minister, described the term “families” as benign. He stated, “What we’ve witnessed is the Balkanization of the Conservative Party – and Balkanization leads to constant strife, turbulence, and an inability to achieve anything as a united force.”
Last month, Mr. Sunak successfully faced down a rebellion from right-wing lawmakers who believed that the legislation was not tough enough. Now, the bill is facing a second round of votes, which has quickly escalated into another confrontation.
On Tuesday, Lee Anderson, a candid lawmaker from the Midlands who was elected during the Conservative landslide led by Mr. Johnson in 2019, voted in favor of amending the legislation to make it less susceptible to being blocked by the courts. This prompted Mr. Anderson, who had risen to the position of deputy party chairman and had his own talk show on the right-wing channel GB News, to resign from his party post, along with Brendan Clarke-Smith, who held a similar position.
Matthew Goodwin, a professor of politics at the University of Kent who has recently advised the Tories on using immigration as an election issue, commented, ”You’ve got a number of talented 2019 Conservatives who are about to lose their seats. They’re trying to position themselves for this post-election defeat,” which, he added, will likely result in a “civil war over what is British…
2024-01-17 00:01:20
Article from www.nytimes.com
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