The Prime Minister has dropped his strongest hint yet that he could back leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), saying controlling immigration is more important than “membership of a foreign court”.
In an interview on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak defended his approach to tackling small boats crossing the Channel, but indicated he would be willing to leave the ECHR if it blocked his Rwanda policy.
The Prime Minister told The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots programme: “I believe that all plans are compliant with all of our international obligations including the ECHR, but I do believe that border security and making sure that we can control illegal migration is more important than membership of a foreign court because it’s fundamental to our sovereignty as a country.”
Responding on social media, the Mirror’s Kevin Maguire was quick to point out that the ECHR is an international court that was proposed and created with the help of the UK, of which it is a full signatory.
The same logic could also see the UK leaving NATO, The United Nations (UN), The International Labour Organization ILO and The World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as international sporting tournaments such as the World Cup and the Olympics, if you really want to stretch the concept.
The Preamble to the European Convention on Human Rights establishes a very clear link between democracy and the Convention and asserts that human rights and freedoms are best realised and maintained by an effective political democracy and by a common understanding of human rights.
It was first agreed upon by politicians including Winston Churchill in the late 1940s, as well as civil society representatives, academics, business leaders, trade unionists, and religious leaders who convened the Congress of Europe in The Hague.
At the end of the Congress, a declaration and following pledge to create the convention was issued.
The second and third articles of the pledge state: “We desire a Charter of Human Rights guaranteeing liberty of thought, assembly and expression as well as right to form a political opposition. We desire a Court of Justice with adequate sanctions for the implementation of this Charter.”
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), lawyer Peter Stefanovic pointed out that the ECHR protects the right to a fair trial, freedom of expression and the right to participate in free elections among other things.
“Suggesting the UK could join Russia and Belarus as the only European countries outside the human rights convention is just completely insane”, he adds.
Watch his video below:
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