How close is Britain to leaving the ECHR?

Will the UK government pledge to leave the European Convention on Human Rights? It’s a cause that Tory MPs on the right of the party have been championing for years, and their cries have grown louder as the Rwanda scheme has struggled to get off the ground. So far the Prime Minister has refused to rule out leaving the ECHR – but those close to him say he needs to be convinced that it is necessary for controlling the UK’s borders and cracking down on small boats. That means exhausting all other avenues first.

However, in a sign of which way the wind is blowing, the Times reports that Suella Braverman has been authorised by Downing Street to float the prospect of leaving the ECHR. This is intended as a ‘warning shot’ to the Strasbourg court not to block flights deporting migrants to Rwanda. First though, the UK government needs to win its challenge against the Court of Appeal, which ruled that the scheme is unlawful.