The European Convention on Human Rights “protects all our basic rights and freedoms”
The Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey condemned Reform UK and the Tories for calling for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights at PMQs today.
In one of his questions to the prime minister, Davey slammed Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch for wanting to join Russia and Vladimir Putin by withdrawing from the convention.
Farage and Badenoch want to pull the UK out of the ECHR and other international human rights treaties, as they claim this will make it easier to deport people arriving on small boats.
The Lib Dem leader highlighted that the ECHR protects all of our basic rights and freedoms, including the rights of children, disabled people, domestic abuse survivors and “victims of horrific crimes”.
“It protects care home residents from abuse and families from being spied on by councils,” Davey added.
He asked Keir Starmer “will the prime minister categorically rule out withdrawing from the ECHR or suspending it or watering down our rights in any way.”
The PM said his government will not pull out of the ECHR, however he said “we do need to make sure the convention and other instruments are fit for the circumstances we face at the moment.”
“Therefore, we have been looking at the interpretation of some of those provisions.”
Starmer went on to say “it would be a profound mistake to remove from these instruments”, warning that the first thing other countries who adhere to the convention would do is end their agreements with the UK.
“That would be catastrophic for dealing with the problem we’re actually dealing with,” Starmer added.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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