South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland was one of only four Conservative backbenchers to vote against a private members bill to accelerate flights sending refugees from Britain to Rwanda.

His North Swindon counterpart Justin Tomlinson voted for it.

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis brought a motion seeking Parliament’s approval to bring in a short bill that would allow the government to send those asking for asylum in the UK to Rwanda instead, even if the European Court of Human Rights said it was against international law.

The motion was not supported by government and without that support was never likely to become law – but it was supported by former prime minister Boris Johnson and former home secretary Priti Patel.

Behind them were another 65 MPs, all but three of them Conservative, including Mr Tomlinson and the MP for Devizes, Danny Kruger.

Sir Robert was one one of only four Conservatives to vote against the motion, along with David Davis, North Dorset MP Simon Hoare and David Simmons as well as 127 Labour MPs and 26 SNP, 10 Liberal Democrats and three Plaid Cymru members.

Government ministers and the prime minister himself did not take part in the vote.