Lee Anderson has vowed to back amendments aimed at beefing up the Rwanda Bill.
The outspoken Conservative Party deputy chairman yesterday confirmed he will defy the Government in voting for the right-wing amendments.
He joins around 60 Tory MPs who are backing changes tabled by former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and veteran Sir Bill Cash to the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which is aimed at getting the policy off the ground.
Mr Anderson tweeted: “I have signed the Cash and Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a dilemma over whether to sack Mr Anderson from his post.
While the deputy chairmanship is not a Government role, holders would be expected to back its positions.
Fellow Tory deputy chairman Brendan Clarke-Smith has also revealed he is backing the amendments to the Bill.
The whips’ office said rumours that Mr Anderson had been assured he could back the changes without being sacked were untrue.
If they are selected, the amendments are unlikely to pass as they will not get Labour support.
But the real test will come at the third reading when rebels may vote against the entire Bill.
Mr Sunak is grappling with a deeply divided party as those on the left will oppose moves to toughen up the legislation.
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Mr Anderson has insisted his backing of the amendments is not a rebellion.
He told GB News: “This is not a rebellion, this is about making sure that the Bill is beefed up a little bit.
“Brendan and I both agree with pretty much 90 per cent of this Rwanda Bill.
“We just feel that there’s a few areas in the Bill that could be strengthened to make sure that it’s watertight.
“And let’s not forget we’re less than a year away from a general election and the last thing I want is Labour coming in and repealing the Rwanda scheme and opening the borders to 100,000 illegal migrants which they will do if they sign up to any EU deal.
“So this is not all about us rebelling, it is about saying you know what most of the Bill is satisfactory, you just need to beef it up a little bit, close all those loopholes and make sure that people can’t come over here and break into our country and use it and use spurious claims. That’s all that’s what it’s about.”
