The former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has said on Sunday that he is “not interested” in the Tory leadership bid.
Jenrick quit his position as the Immigration Minister on Wednesday last week and said that he has concerns over prolonged legal challenges of the proposed Rwanda Bill.
The Communities Secretary Michael Gove sent a clear message to Tory MPs are thinking of submitting letters of no confidence against the Prime Minister which threatens Rishi Sunak’s leadership.
Speaking on Sunday to BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Gover said, “Let’s focus on the job.”
Jenrick has been seen as a possible replacement for Sunak, but he made it clear to Kuenssberg he is “not interested” in running should there be yet another Conservative leadership bid.
Jenrick told Kuenssberg, “I’m not interested in that. I’m solely interested in this (migration) policy.
“I want the Conservative Party to win the next general election. I want it to make good on its manifesto commitments.
“I think there is a way to do that.”
Kuenssberg asked Jenrick if he will vote for the Rwanda Bill in the Commons on Tuesday, he said, “No, I won’t be supporting this Bill, but I do think we can fix this, and that’s what I want to do now.
“I care about this policy because I care about border security and I’m determined that we can persuade the Government and colleagues in Parliament that there is a better way.”
He added, “We’ve already done two Bills, this is the third Bill. It’s three strikes or you’re out.
“I want this Bill to work and create that powerful deterrent and I’m afraid it’s very clear to all those people who really understand how this system operates that this Bill will not succeed.”
Jenrick said he has concerns over the large number of people crossing the English Channel.
He said, “I am very worried that a million new people coming into our country every year is damaging our ability to integrate those people successfully and to be a united country.”
He was then asked for his evidence that integration is not working, Jenrick said, “I think there are communities in our country where people are leading parallel lives.
“And… it’s inevitable… it’s an obvious observation that a million people coming into our country every year is immensely challenging to successfully integrate.
“And I’m afraid you see that, I mean I’ve seen that recently, for example, with the marches through London where I saw some people who simply did not share British values.
“I thought that was wrong, it was deeply disturbing, and I think we’ve got to take action to address that.”
He added, “I think it’s connected to mass uncontrolled migration and I think we have to change that.”
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