Rishi Sunak has got through one Rwanda vote but this is just the start

Prime minister’s focus on small boats looks tragically misdirected and the storm clouds are still gathering

As the storm clouds gathered over Westminster on Tuesday afternoon, one of Rishi Sunak’s cabinet ministers looked up at the heavy grey sky and sighed: “It’s pathetic fallacy.”

Yet despite the dark mood among the prime minister’s allies – and grim warnings to the contrary – the first stage of his flagship Rwanda bill passed easily through the House of Commons.