The warned months crisis Prime Minister knows he has to stop the rising tide of small boats crossing the Channel to stand any chance of victory at the end of next year.
But senior aides fear a Tory wipeout in late 2024 if he goes to the country after a summer in which thousands illegal more immigrants have landed.
They have told him he must achieve clear signs of progress by this autumn or start gearing up his team for an election the following May.
Last night, a source said: "Realistically, Rishi has got six months to start making some serious gains from his plan to tackle illegal migration. There's bound to be thousands more arriving this summer but if that's followed by some progress then he'll have some time to play with.
"But he can't afford to risk waiting until the latest realistic date, October 2024, if there's any chance that will be on the back of a second summer of migration chaos."
Mr Sunak has staked his reputation on tough measures to stop the migrants.
His Illegal Migration Bill aims to make it impossible for anyone who comes to the UK unlawfully to stay in the country.
He hopes it will allow him to send asylum seekers arriving in boats to Rwanda, a policy that faces stiff opposition in the courts.
Tory MPs, particularly those in "Red Wall" seats snatched from Labour in the 2019 election, regularly warn they are under intense pressure from voters to stop the arrival of cross-Channel migrants.
One insider said: "The PM is throwing everything at solving the crisis right now. He desperately needs a quick win - whether it is cutting the number of boats or starting the flights to Rwanda.
"Failure to make inroads by the end of this summer will leave him with a stark choice. He'll have to decide whether to start planning for an election in May next year to avoid having to hold one the following autumn after yet another summer in which thousands land on our shores."
This story is from the April 02, 2023 edition of Sunday Express.
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This story is from the April 02, 2023 edition of Sunday Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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