ECHR reform won’t happen

In Westminster, the debate about the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights is all being seen through the prism of the Abu Qatada case. Undoubtedly, the whole debate over how many days had elapsed is something Theresa May and the Home Office would have liked to avoid. It has also come at a particularly unfortunate time for the government when people are prepared to believe it has been incompetent even when it hasn’t been.

But what, I expect, is more significant in the long term than Abu Qatada is the fact that the Brighton conference on the ECHR is not going to deliver the meaningful reforms that David Cameron wants. It is becoming increasingly clear that the aim of reforming the ECHR from within is a pipe dream. Instead, the choice is going to be between leaving the jurisdiction of the court or accepting a status quo that is increasingly unacceptable to the public.