iVM News
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has announced that a future Conservative government would withdraw the United Kingdom from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), marking one of the most significant shifts in the party’s legal and foreign policy stance in decades.
Speaking ahead of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Badenoch said the decision was taken after months of detailed legal review and consultation, describing it as “a necessary step to protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens.”
The announcement follows a comprehensive review led by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC, the party’s chief legal adviser, who concluded that remaining in the ECHR imposes “significant constraints” on the government’s ability to enforce immigration laws, deport foreign criminals, and protect military veterans from legal challenges.
Lord Wolfson’s nearly 200-page report examined how the ECHR affects five key Conservative policy priorities: deporting illegal migrants, shielding veterans from retrospective prosecutions, prioritising British citizens in access to public services, ensuring prison sentences reflect parliamentary intent, and preventing courts from using environmental laws to block infrastructure and planning reforms.
“In all five areas, the ECHR places significant constraints,” Lord Wolfson found. His review also stated that leaving the convention would not breach the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement or the Windsor Framework, addressing one of the major concerns raised by legal scholars.
Badenoch said the review had given her the confidence to proceed with the plan:
“I have not come to this decision lightly, but it is clear that it is necessary to protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens. Unlike other parties, we have done the serious work to develop a plan to do so, backed by legal advice from a distinguished King’s Counsel.”
The decision ends months of internal Conservative wrangling over the UK’s continued membership of the human rights treaty, which has become a flashpoint in the party’s ongoing debate over immigration and sovereignty.
Political and Legal Reactions
Opposition parties and legal experts have condemned the move.
A Labour Party spokesperson said Badenoch had been “forced” into adopting a position she had previously opposed, adding:
“Badenoch now thinks she is both incapable of negotiating changes to the ECHR with our international partners, and a sufficiently accomplished diplomatic operator to renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement.”
Labour argued the plan was politically motivated, designed to fend off pressure from Reform UK, which has long called for Britain to leave the ECHR entirely.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage welcomed the announcement but questioned its sincerity, saying, “The Conservatives had 14 years in power to leave the ECHR. Nobody trusts them to do it now.”
The Liberal Democrats also criticised the proposal. Party leader Sir Ed Davey said Badenoch had “chosen to back Nigel Farage and join Vladimir Putin,” warning that the move would isolate the UK internationally.
“This will do nothing to stop the boats or fix our broken immigration system problems caused by the last Conservative Government that Badenoch still hasn’t apologised for,” he added.
Meanwhile, legal scholars have cautioned that quitting the ECHR could have serious constitutional and diplomatic repercussions, potentially undermining the UK’s standing in Europe and its commitment to international law.
Professor Catherine Barnard of the University of Cambridge noted that the UK would join Russia as the only European state outside the treaty, risking the erosion of legal safeguards and damaging relations with the European Union.
A Sharp Policy Shift
The move represents a clear break from the stance taken by previous Conservative leaders.
In 2023, former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green described leaving the ECHR as a “red line” for the moderate One Nation Conservatives group. Similarly, former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland warned that withdrawal would be “an act of folly,” calling instead for reform from within. Both men lost their parliamentary seats in the 2024 general election.
The ECHR, drafted in the aftermath of the Second World War, is overseen by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and forms part of the Council of Europe, which is separate from the European Union. The UK was a founding signatory in 1950 and has been bound by its provisions ever since.
While the ECHR has been credited with strengthening civil liberties, its rulings have increasingly clashed with UK immigration and deportation policies. Critics within the Conservative Party argue that it has allowed foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers to avoid deportation on human rights grounds.
Election Stakes
With an election expected next year, Badenoch’s announcement appears designed to unify her party and draw a sharp contrast with Labour on migration and sovereignty.
Political analysts say the pledge could help the Conservatives claw back voters drifting toward Reform UK but warn it may alienate centrist supporters and raise tensions with allies in Europe.