RISHI Sunak today threatened to rip up "frustrating" international rules after top judges torpedoed his Rwanda migration plan.
In a press conference tonight, the PM will scramble to calm Tory MPs ready to launch a full-scale revolt over the Supreme Court defeat.
By unanimous verdict, Britain's most senior judges ruled Rwanda was NOT a safe third nation to deport migrants to.
But racing out of the blocks, Mr Sunak stood by the £140million removal scheme and revealed he is working to strengthen the deal.
At PMQs he told anxious Tory backbenchers: "If it becomes clear that our domestic legal frameworks or international conventions are still frustrating the plans at that point, I am prepared to change our laws and revisit those international relationships.
"The British people expect us to do whatever it takes to stop the boats and that is precisely what this Government will deliver."
It opens the door to reforming Britain's membership of the controversial European Convention of Human Rights or other treaties.
New Home Secretary James Cleverly appeared to rule out watering down ties to Strasbourg, telling restless MPs: “We are not going to put forward proposals simply to manufacture an unnecessary row for short-term political gain.”
The PM added: "This was not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and we remain completely committed to stopping the boats.
“Crucially, the Supreme Court – like the Court of Appeal and the High Court before it – has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is lawful.
In a fightback he insisted he will do "whatever it takes" to stop the boats - and will address the nation at 4.45pm from Downing Street.
He spoke to Rwandan President Paul Kagame this morning where both leaders "reiterated their firm commitment to making our migration partnership work and agreed to take the necessary steps to ensure this is a robust and lawful policy and to stop the boats as soon as possible.”
Under the new treaty Britain wants to strike with Rwanda, even refugees who fail asylum processing will be given a legal right to settle there.
Whereas under the existing deal they could be sent back to their potentially unsafe home country, an issue for the Supreme Court.
The defeat marks a huge blow to the PM’s pledge to stop the boats ahead of an expected showdown general election next year.
Sir Keir Starmer went on the attack in the Commons, blasting: "The central pillar of his government has crumpled beneath him."
In a summary of the ruling Lord Reed, the President of the Supreme Court, said that all five justices agreed with the Court of Appeal that the Rwanda scheme is unlawful.
By HARRY COLE, Political Editor
IT wasn’t so much a defeat but an absolute thumping.
Not since Boris Johnson’s attempt to suspend Parliament in 2019 have ministers' plans been so brutally shredded in the courts.
Suella Braverman revealed in her bombshell departure letter yesterday that she had been warning of this scenario for months, but No10 insisted they have a “Plan B”.
If that is truly the case they better get cracking on it asap because the mood in the Tory party ranges from despair on the left to vitriol on the right.
Rishi Sunak will address the nation later this afternoon, as his critics on the Tory right warn “this feels existential for our party”.
Hardliners warn that without some serious nuclear options - or what Suella described as “upsetting polite thought” - like reforming the Human Rights Act, the Government is fairly snookered.
Calls for emergency legislation to block the long arm of the Strasbourg Human Rights Court are already coming in thick and fast.
New Home Secretary James Cleverly - who has inherited the intray from hell - is doubling down today, saying “clearly there is an appetite” for the concept of offshore processing of migrants.
And the PM is also putting on a brave face, saying: “Crucially, the Supreme Court has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is lawful.
But the problem lies in where are they going to do it?
Rwanda is out now, but it was the only country ministers had convinced with a large cheque to go along with the plan.
If the PM doesn’t have a backup country, its hard to see how his “Plan B” going to cut it.
He told the court: "We are unanimously of the view that they were entitled to reach that conclusion.
"Indeed, having been taken through the evidence ourselves, we agree with their conclusion."
Hitting back, a spokesperson for the Rwandan government said: "This is ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system.
"However, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe third country for asylum seekers and refugees, in terms of refoulment.
"Rwanda and the UK have been working together to ensure the integration of relocated asylum seekers into Rwandan society."
New Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted that "clearly there is an appetite for this concept".
He added: "Across Europe, illegal migration is increasing, and governments are following our lead – Italy, Germany and Austria are all exploring models similar to our partnership with Rwanda."
But ex-Cabinet Minister Sir Simon Clarke said the ruling posed a fundamental question of "who governs Britain".
And threatening a full-scale Tory revolt he warned that the PM's response tonight would be viewed as a "confidence issue".
He demanded emergency legislation to override the Human Rights Act, and warned anything less risked Sunak's entire administration collapsing.
Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson said the Government should ";ignore the laws" and send migrants back the same day they arrive in the UK.
An ally of Braverman said: “The stupidity of this is the predictability of it all.
"Suella repeatedly proposed a plan when she first came in as Home Secretary to have the option to carry out UK asylum offshoring in Rwanda, which would have insured against this loss in the courts.
"But it was blocked by the magical thinkers in number 10. They played roulette with the British public and just blindly banked on winning in the court.”
A former Cabinet Minister said a confidence vote in Sunak's leadership is now “very plausible”
And fellow Tory Danny Kruger of the New Conservatives group said the Supreme Court judgement could mean the end of the party.
A hastily-arranged meeting was attended by senior Tories including Lord Frost and Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Mr Kruger said: "This feels absolutely existential for our party.
"We promised to stop the boats, we promised to take back control of our borders.
"What we have seen today is the court has overridden that sovereign decision of the British people.
"And if this government will not step up and do whatever it takes the prime minister has promised and indeed he will, there is no reason for the public to trust us again.
"So we absolutely have to respond to this in the most robust way possible."
Kruger, who said current legislation wasn't tough enough, added: "What he needs to do today in our view is announce immediate legislative action to give effect to the sovereign will of the public and indeed of Parliament."
Yesterday No10 claimed ministers had been war-gaming the potential outcomes and drafting contingencies.
Mr Sunak’s spokesman said: “We've got options for possible scenarios as you would expect.”
The loss comes less than 24 hours after outgoing Home Secretary Suella Braverman blasted the PM for NOT having "any sort of credible Plan B" in her blistering resignation letter.
She wrote: "If we lose in the Supreme Court, an outcome that I have consistently argued we must be prepared for, you will have wasted a year and an Act of Parliament, only to arrive back at square one.
"Worse than this, your magical thinking - believing that you can will your way through this without upsetting polite opinion - has meant you have failed to prepare any sort of credible 'Plan B'."
Responding to the judgement Tory MP for Dover and Deal Natalie Elphicke said: "The Supreme Court's decision on Rwanda means the policy is effectively at an end.
"No planes will be leaving and we now need to move forward.
"A fresh policy is now needed: a new Cross Channel Agreement with France to stop the boats leaving and return those that do to the safety of the French coast.
"That should be David Cameron’s top foreign policy priority."
Last summer the Court of Appeal overturned a judgement from the High Court that the removal scheme was safe.
By a two-to-one vote judges were not reassured the Kigali government would not later send migrants on to other countries where they could face persecution.
Ministers have said a ruling of unlawfulness does not necessarily kill off the Rwanda plan - first announced in 2022 by Boris Johnson.
But the Supreme Court ruling will now fuel Tory calls for Britain to quit the European Court of Human Right.
Allies of Ms Braverman could ramp up their campaign to leave deepening the civil war blighting the Tory party.
The government has already paid Rwanda £140million to rehouse asylum seekers crossing the Channel.
Ministers believe the plan will deter tens of thousands making the perilous journey if they know they will be flown to the East African country.
