Lee Anderson has confirmed he will vote for amendments to Rishi Sunak's Safety of Rwanda Bill amid speculation it could cost him his role as deputy chairman of the Tory Party.
The Ashfield MP, who was only appointed deputy chair last February, said he signed amendments put forward by Brexit veteran Sir Bill Cash and former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.
Anderson said: "The Rwanda Bill. I have signed the Cash and Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them."
Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, who is also deputy chairman of the Tory Party, announced he will join Anderson in rebelling over the Safety of Rwanda Bill just minutes later.
Lee Anderson backs Rwanda Bill rebellion after threatening Sunak with ultimatumGETTYHe said: "When I was elected in 2019 I promised my constituents we would take back control.
"I want this legislation to be as strong as possible and therefore I will be supporting the Jenrick/Cash amendments.
"These are arguments I have consistently made and will continue to make."
Sunak will come under mounting pressure to sack Anderson and Clarke-Smith for defying his orders to support the legislation.
The two Red Wall MPs are not officially on the Tory frontbench but are considered part of the payroll vote.
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PAAnderson, who rejected the suggestion his announcement amounted to a "rebellion", told GB News: "There's talk about being sacked and resignation and all this. The most important thing to me is not my role, as a deputy chairman, the most important thing to me is making sure this legislation works and I speak on behalf of the people of Ashfield."
Clarke-Smith also told this broadcaster: "The fact of the matter is we all want to make this legislation work. Sometimes you have to say what is in your heart, sometimes you have to say what you think is going to make that legislation better."
However, the pair were coy about whether they would vote against the legislation if the amendments fail to get support ahead of the third reading.
Sunak refused to comment on Anderson's position this morning, saying: "I'm talking to all my colleagues."
The Prime Minister added: "I know everyone’s frustrated, I’m frustrated about the situation, and they want to see an end to the legal merry go round.
"I’m confident that the bill we’ve got is the toughest that anyone has ever seen and it will resolve this issue once and for all."
More than 50 MPs from the right of the Tory Party could rebel over concerns the legislation does not go far enough in preventing asylum seekings from appealing their removal to Rwanda.
Tory MP Brendan Clarke-SmithGB NewsGB News understands that MPs from the two largest groupings of the so-called "five families" - the New Conservatives and the European Research Group - are due to meet tonight to discuss strategy ahead of the key votes on the Rwanda Bill tomorrow and Wednesday.
Sunak appeared to look to reassure Tory rebels earlier today by vowing to defy Strasbourg judges to get planes off the ground.
Speaking to GB News from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, the Prime Minister said: "I won't let a foreign court stop us from getting flights off and this deterrent working.
"There's a clause in the Bill that says, very specifically, that it is for ministers to decide whether to comply with Rule 39 rulings as they're called, I would not have put that clause in the Bill if I was not prepared to use it.
"Now look I don't think Strasbourg will intervene because of the checks and balances in our system. And of course, there will be individual circumstances that people want us to consider on the facts.
"But if you're asking me you know, are there circumstances in which I'm prepared to ignore those Rule 39s? Then yes, of course there are."
Robert Buckland arrives in Downing Street in central London to attend a Cabinet meeting
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Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss and Tory bigwig Sir Iain Duncan Smith have joined Anderson in demanding Sunak tears up legal safeguards to stop migrants crossing the Channel.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who is seen as the frontrunner to replace Sunak as Tory leader, is also supposedly pushing Sunak to bolster the Safety of Rwanda Bill.
However, around 100 Tory MPs associated with the One Nation Caucus could withdraw their support if the legislation breaches the rule of law and the UK’s international obligations.
Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland warned that toughening up the Bill will "cause problems".
The South Swindon MP, who is a leading member of the liberal-leaning group of Tories, said: "I think in a nutshell, the Government would be best advised not to accept any of the amendments from my colleagues on the right, because the Bill then will cause a problem for us here. So we're hoping that common sense will prevail."
