Sunak cornered

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces tough moment over migration dispute [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up [here](. Rishi Sunak will face his most perilous moment yet as UK prime minister [when lawmakers vote today]( on his flagship immigration policy. Sunak is trying to keep alive his plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which was ruled unlawful by Britain’s top court on human rights grounds last month, and on which he has staked his premiership. The policy is viewed by Downing Street as essential to stopping the flow of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, which has become a key issue ahead of a general election likely next year. The vote is over new legislation that Sunak has proposed to declare Rwanda a safe country and attempt to allay legal concerns. Right-wing Tories are not convinced the bill goes far enough. Sunak has said he won’t go any further. That impasse is reminiscent of Britain’s turbulent Brexit years, where lawmakers sat late in the House of Commons to vote on former premier Theresa May’s efforts to strike a withdrawal deal with the European Union. Those attempts ultimately failed and cost May her job. The churn in UK politics has barely stopped since then. Sunak has been in office for little more than 13 months, the fourth British leader since David Cameron resigned after defeat in the Brexit referendum of 2016. If Sunak loses today, his Rwanda plan would be all but finished, the prime minister’s position would be under threat, and the chances of an earlier election would rise. Downing Street expects to win the vote narrowly. That may only delay the flashpoint until January, when lawmakers will have a chance to amend the bill and test Sunak’s majority again. Last week the premier told his party to back his bill and “unite or die.” Today, and the weeks ahead, will see Tory lawmakers make their choice.— [Alex Wickham]( WATCH: Bloomberg’s Lizzy Burden reports on Sunak’s troubles. Source: Bloomberg Global Must Reads While Israel remains the focus of Palestinian fury in Gaza, there are signs of [increasing anger at Hamas](, the militant group whose attack on Oct. 7 sparked the current conflict. The vast majority of the strip’s 2.2 million inhabitants have been displaced at least once since Israel’s invasion, and more than 18,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, the Hamas-run health ministry says. Chinese President Xi Jinping is courting Vietnam with his first visit to the southeast Asian nation in six years in a bid to ensure a [strategically important partner]( hasn’t drifted too close to the US. It comes just three months after US President Joe Biden’s trip to Vietnam yielded sweeping agreements on everything from semiconductors to security. President Irfaan Ali said Guyana’s troops are prepared to defend the nation’s territory after Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro revived a long-dormant dispute over the oil-rich region of Essequibo. Speaking in a video interview, he said [companies operating there were not intimidated]( by orders from the Venezuelan leader to leave the area. Ali and Maduro are set to meet Thursday to try to deescalate tensions. WATCH: President Ali says his nation is “on the right side of international law” in the territorial dispute with Venezuela. Source: Bloomberg With the COP28 summit in Dubai set to end today and no deal on reducing the use of fossil fuels in sight, nearly 200 countries are in tough negotiations over how to combat climate change that may run over. While many of the world’s largest economies are pledging to redouble efforts to back carbon capture and storage through subsidies, a big question remains: Will that be enough to [arrest the dangerous climb]( in global temperatures? Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to end Poland’s isolation within the EU, [remain a close ally of the US](and staunchly support Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself from Russia. Speaking in parliament ahead of a vote of confidence in his government, Tusk said the new coalition will ensure Poland “will return to the position it should have” in Europe. A missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen hit a fuel tanker heading to Italy in the Red Sea, the latest in [a string of incidents]( that have turned the area where the attack took place into the world’s riskiest waters. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and top officials from his coalition will resume talks today on a [revised 2024 budget]( after a deal again proved elusive in negotiations yesterday, sources say. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo called a chipmaking breakthrough by China’s Huawei “deeply concerning” and said in an interview that the US will take [the “strongest possible” action]( to protect its national security. Washington Dispatch On a hurried trip to Washington nearly a year ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivered an address to a joint session of Congress. His [meetings with congressional leaders]( on Capitol Hill today will be behind closed doors. Zelenskiy, making his third visit since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion almost two years ago, is trying to speed passage of $61 billion in funds to bolster Ukraine’s war effort. The aid has been held up over demands by Republican lawmakers that the measure include new restrictions on migration, particularly at the US southern border. Biden and supporters of Ukraine warn that delays will not only imperil a struggling democracy but embolden autocrats everywhere. Biden plans to meet with Zelenskiy today, and the White House said the two leaders will discuss “Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States’ continued support at this critical moment.” Yet Biden cannot provide the aid without Congress, and an agreement for passage seems increasingly unlikely before lawmakers leave town for the Christmas recess.  One thing to watch today: The consumer price index for November is reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter]( for more from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 5pm ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. Chart of the Day Among the new offices and apartments filling up once deserted fields on the road from Pristina airport to the Kosovo capital is the three-story glass headquarters of Gjirafa, a search-engine company that has shifted its focus to e-commerce, a sort of mini Google-turned-Amazon.com. The [symbol of dynamism]( offers hope that Kosovo can secure a future as a self-sufficient European state. Yet it also serves to highlight the sclerotic challenges that drag on the tiny nation. And Finally The impact of antibiotic drug resistance was clear to see in China’s packed pediatric hospitals as an outbreak of walking pneumonia, normally a mild infection, struck millions of children in the second half of 2023. While the scenes sparked Covid-19 flashbacks and raised fears about another novel pathogen, doctors say a [real danger is the rise of superbugs](, rendering life-saving treatments less effective. Parents take their children for infusion treatment at a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning province, on Dec. 8. 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