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Badenoch confirmed she would declared that a Conservative administration under her leadership would withdraw Britain from the European convention on human rights.

This move signals a lurch to the right for the Conservative party, who are attempting to halt a erosion of backing to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. The Reform leader has long been a opponent of the ECHR and has pledged to leave it if he becomes prime minister.

The Leader's Statement

She stated on Friday night that she had “not come to this decision lightly, but it is clear that it is essential to safeguard our frontiers, our ex-service personnel and our people”.

Arguments Surrounding Leaving the ECHR

Critics of the ECHR claim it hinders the authorities' attempts to address unauthorized immigration and remove foreign criminals.

Others contend that withdrawing from the treaty would damage the UK’s international reputation and breach the Good Friday agreement, which brought an end to decades of conflict in the province. Only Russia and Belarus are the sole European nations that are not signatories.

Assessment Conclusions

The announcement follows the completion of a months-long review by David Wolfson, the opposition legal chief, which determined that the treaty “places significant constraints on the government” across a variety of fields, including border control.

Lord Wolfson deemed other options, such as renegotiating or derogating from the treaty, “either unrealistic or ineffective”.

Wolfson maintained that leaving it was compatible with the Good Friday agreement and the Windsor framework agreed under the former prime minister to simplify post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Party Statement

The Conservative party said: “Unlike Reform UK, who have made slapdash pledges with no consideration of the consequences and no plan to deliver behind them, the Conservatives have done the thorough analysis to explore the legal and practical considerations necessary to withdraw from the convention in an orderly manner.”

Context on the European Convention

This human rights treaty was established in the mid-20th century and defines the rights and freedoms individuals can claim in the member states of the European body. It is a key component of UK human rights law and has been used to halt attempts to remove people who are deemed to be in the UK without authorization.

Major Issues

Opponents highlighted problems with article 3, which protects against cruel or humiliating practices, and Article Eight, which safeguards the right to private and family life, saying that they are being interpreted too broadly by judges and block lawful removals.

Individuals and countries can only appeal to the European court of human rights once they have exhausted every domestic route.

Party Election Context

During the Tory leadership race previously, membership of the ECHR became a dividing line between the two candidates. Badenoch argued that leaving the ECHR would not resolve the UK’s issues, while her rival said his party would “perish” if it argued to stay in.