Kemi Badenoch has justified the UK’s potential withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) by pointing out that several non-European countries are not part of the agreement.
During the lead-up to the Conservative party conference, the Tory leader declared that if they secured victory in the upcoming election, the UK would exit the international treaty to manage immigration, sparking strong reactions. Ms. Badenoch defended this move, citing the need to safeguard borders, veterans, and citizens.
In an interview on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she was questioned about aligning with Russia and Belarus in departing from the ECHR. Ms. Badenoch countered by highlighting countries outside Europe that are not ECHR signatories, such as the United States, Australia, and Canada. She stressed that human rights are not exclusive to the ECHR or the Human Rights Act.
The ECHR provides fundamental rights like the right to life, liberty, fair trial, privacy, freedom of expression, assembly, religion, and prohibits torture, slavery, and discrimination.
A Labour source ridiculed Ms. Badenoch’s statements, referencing a recent Brexit-related mistake she made on TV regarding Northern Ireland. The source criticized her lack of knowledge in European matters.
The proposed “borders plan” by the Tories includes a strict immigration approach akin to Donald Trump’s policies, featuring a new enforcement model inspired by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The Conservative party aims to deport 750,000 individuals during the next parliamentary term, exceeding the 600,000 deportations targeted by Reform UK’s previous plan.
Ms. Badenoch declared that any Conservative member not supporting the ECHR withdrawal would be barred from standing as a party candidate in the next general election.
