Rishi Sunak faces defeat from Tory rebels over small boat plan to 'lock up children'

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Rishi Sunak has been warned by rebel Tory MPs that he could face defeat on his landmark small craft bill unless he backs down its intention to 'lock up' the children.

Moderate Tories fear that the government's current policy of not detaining children will be reversed by the Minister of Illegal Migration Bill Interior Suella Braverman.

If the PM and Ms Braverman don't back down, the rebels want to push the amendments to ensure the indefinite detention powers in the crackdown on their small boats don't apply not to children.

Amendments tabled by Tim Loughton won the support of 12 Tory MPs before recess - but the rebels believe they can muster the dozens of supporters needed to defeat the government if a vote is forced into the Commons after Easter.

Senior MP Tobias Ellwood told The Independent: 'The Bill as it stands requires an amendment for our children so that our international obligations to prevent the detention of children are met.

The Chairman of the Defense Select Committee added: “Without these changes, I suspect the bill will struggle to pass through parliament.

Senior Tory David Davis said there was a 'good chance' of defeating the Government 'if we don't get what we want' - warning that the Lords would take up the issue of the detention of children even if the Tories rebel were to lose a vote in the House of Commons.

Mr. David wants the government to "return to existing restrictions" preventing the prolonged detention of children, saying: "If the government fails to provide protections - especially for unaccompanied children - then there will be amendments that will be tabled.

The former Minister added: "Unaccompanied children are particularly vulnerable and you have to be careful. The stricter the overall policy, the more careful you have to be with that."

< p>It is understood that Labor and the Liberal Democrats will support any further amendments from the Tory rebels on the issue of child detention Winning the backing of 35-40 Tory MPs would leave Mr Sunak facing his first defeat in the House of the Commons.

Former Tory Justice Secretary Robert Buckland previously told The Independent 'we shouldn't lock children standing - that's not right' , while Tory MP Caroline Nokes likened the "horrendous" plan to Donald Trump's "child caging".