Anyone reading the news over the past two days could be forgiven for feeling a certain sense of déjà vu. Senior figures in government, including an unnamed cabinet minister, have suggested that if Rwanda flights removing asylum seekers are blocked by the courts, Conservatives would ‘inevitably’ back moves to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. The Telegraph reports that up to a third of the cabinet are prepared to back leaving the convention. Backbenchers are restless.
It is hard to see how it would be possible for the UK to depart the convention without causing some significant problems
These threats to leave the ECHR seem to recur cyclically. Whether the issue is prisoners voting, deporting foreign criminals, or stopping small boats, the convention is inescapably the villain of the day.
Keen observers might note that this is not the first time that the Conservatives have taken aim at human rights laws. In their 2010 election manifesto, the party promised to ‘replace the Human Rights Act with a UK Bill of Rights’.
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