When No. 10 first planned the illegal migration bill – to stop those who enter the UK illegally from claiming asylum – the hope was that it would act as a unifying force within the Tory party. In a sign that the strategy is bearing fruit, the legislation has passed its second reading late this evening, with a majority of 62, with 312 ayes to 250 noes. Not one Tory MP voted against the bill – with critics opting to abstain instead. The Labour amendment to decline to approve the second reading failed at 249 ayes to 312 noes.

Yet the debate before the vote wasn’t all plain-sailing for the government. Former prime minister Theresa May went on the offensive – arguing that ‘anybody who thinks that this bill deal with the issue of illegal migration once and for all is wrong’. The former home secretary criticised the asylum crackdown that has seen the government boast that those who come here illegally will not be able to use the modern slavery act – a key part of May’s legacy: ‘The Home Office knows this Bill means genuine victims of modern slavery will be denied support.’

Other critics of the bill include one nation Tory Caroline Nokes who has spoken of her horror at the bill and Chris Skidmore, stepping down at the next election, who raised concerns over whether the bill breaks international law (the Home Secretary insisted in the chamber she was confident it would be within international law). All three appear to have abstained in the vote. Meanwhile, MPs who called for changes – such as Bob Neill – still voted for the bill.

Yet the Tory party is still largely united around this bill. As one MP puts it of the rebels: ‘They are hardly party weathervanes’. More significant is the fact that other one-nation Tories like Damien Green and Angela Richardson have publicly supported the plan. It reflects how the issue has electoral potency across the country. The rising use of hotels to house asylum seekers has led some Tory MPs who in the past were more likely to speak against such legislation to get behind it.

Sunak’s bigger issue is not how many Conservative MPs believe the bill goes too far but how many think it does not go far enough. When the bill reaches committee stage, MPs on the right of the party could seek to toughen it up further with an amendment on leaving the ECHR. This has the potential to win over a considerable number of MPs. Ministers hope to convince these MPs that the bill pushes things far enough that it should be given a chance to succeed before taking what many in the party view as the nuclear option.