Overview

• Downing Street has denied plans to rewrite the Civil Service code as part of the Rwanda plan, despite suggestions from illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson that such a move was under consideration.
• Trade unions representing civil servants have criticized the idea of amending the code, arguing it would put civil servants in a difficult position and potentially force them to breach the law.
• Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel has urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to remove all potential roadblocks, including the Civil Service code, to progress the Rwanda plan.
• Human rights lawyer Adam Wagner has dismissed the idea of changing the Civil Service code, arguing that civil servants can only advise based on the law and that such a change would not affect the UK's obligations under the European Court of Human Rights.
• The controversy comes amid a wider debate over the Rwanda plan, which has faced opposition from some Tory MPs who believe it does not do enough to block last-minute injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights.