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The Conservative Party has announced plans to pull the United Kingdom out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if they win the next election.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claims this is necessary to “protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens.”
But a closer look at both the law and the political context shows what Vox Political has been saying all along: this is not about immigration — it’s about stripping ordinary people of their protections.
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Practical problems don’t need us to quit a treaty
Badenoch and her allies cite delays in deporting foreign criminals as justification for leaving the ECHR.
But the reality is that these cases involve only a handful of legal conflicts, mostly relating to Article 8 (right to family life) and Article 3 (risk of torture or inhuman treatment).
There are clear, proportionate solutions that don’t require scrapping the treaty:
-
Parliament could pass legislation defining thresholds for deportation in cases of serious criminality.
-
Courts could continue to weigh family ties in less serious cases but with stricter standards.
-
The government can rely on enforceable assurances from destination countries, as in the Abu Qatada case, to allow deportation while upholding human rights obligations.
In short, you don’t need to destroy the foundations of human rights to resolve a few difficult immigration cases.
Leaving would isolate the UK
The Tories’ framing of the ECHR as a “foreign nuisance” ignores the international consequences.
Only Belarus has never ratified the ECHR, and Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022.
If the UK exits, it will join these two countries as the only European states outside the human rights framework — a profound act of self-isolation.
This is not just symbolic.
Withdrawal risks undermining the Good Friday Agreement, complicating the UK-EU trade deal, and damaging Britain’s credibility in human rights diplomacy.
The real agenda: human rights for sale
The core issue is not immigration — it is power. By weakening or leaving the ECHR, the government would gain the ability to redefine citizens’ rights at will. Protections against unlawful killing, forced labour, discrimination, surveillance, and even torture could be weakened or removed.
The pattern is clear:
-
Step 1: Frame human rights as a shield for migrants and criminals.
-
Step 2: Stir fear and outrage, justifying withdrawal.
-
Step 3: Expand the same logic to ordinary citizens, turning rights into privileges at Parliament’s discretion.
Immigration is just the first domino. The aim is a culture of conditional rights, where the government decides what protections you get, and when.
There’s a smarter way forward
Instead of theatrics and treaty withdrawals, responsible government would:
-
Reform Article 8 through Parliament.
-
Clarify the application of Article 3 with enforceable safeguards.
-
Maintain the UK’s international commitments while balancing security and fairness.
This approach addresses practical problems without isolating the UK, undermining democracy, or putting ordinary citizens at risk.
Vox Political‘s verdict
Badenoch claims leaving the ECHR is about sovereignty.
In reality, it is about consolidating political power and weakening legal checks on government overreach.
The people the Tories say they are protecting are not the ordinary citizens of the UK — they are the wealthy and politically connected elites who benefit when rights can be overridden at will.
If the UK exits the ECHR, we won’t just lose protections for migrants — we all stand to lose our rights, our freedoms, and our place among Europe’s democratic nations.
This is not immigration policy.
It is a direct threat to your human rights.
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The Tory threat to leave international human rights law is about power, not immigration
Share this post:
The Conservative Party has announced plans to pull the United Kingdom out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if they win the next election.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claims this is necessary to “protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens.”
But a closer look at both the law and the political context shows what Vox Political has been saying all along: this is not about immigration — it’s about stripping ordinary people of their protections.
Practical problems don’t need us to quit a treaty
Badenoch and her allies cite delays in deporting foreign criminals as justification for leaving the ECHR.
But the reality is that these cases involve only a handful of legal conflicts, mostly relating to Article 8 (right to family life) and Article 3 (risk of torture or inhuman treatment).
There are clear, proportionate solutions that don’t require scrapping the treaty:
Parliament could pass legislation defining thresholds for deportation in cases of serious criminality.
Courts could continue to weigh family ties in less serious cases but with stricter standards.
The government can rely on enforceable assurances from destination countries, as in the Abu Qatada case, to allow deportation while upholding human rights obligations.
In short, you don’t need to destroy the foundations of human rights to resolve a few difficult immigration cases.
Leaving would isolate the UK
The Tories’ framing of the ECHR as a “foreign nuisance” ignores the international consequences.
Only Belarus has never ratified the ECHR, and Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022.
If the UK exits, it will join these two countries as the only European states outside the human rights framework — a profound act of self-isolation.
This is not just symbolic.
Withdrawal risks undermining the Good Friday Agreement, complicating the UK-EU trade deal, and damaging Britain’s credibility in human rights diplomacy.
The real agenda: human rights for sale
The core issue is not immigration — it is power. By weakening or leaving the ECHR, the government would gain the ability to redefine citizens’ rights at will. Protections against unlawful killing, forced labour, discrimination, surveillance, and even torture could be weakened or removed.
The pattern is clear:
Step 1: Frame human rights as a shield for migrants and criminals.
Step 2: Stir fear and outrage, justifying withdrawal.
Step 3: Expand the same logic to ordinary citizens, turning rights into privileges at Parliament’s discretion.
Immigration is just the first domino. The aim is a culture of conditional rights, where the government decides what protections you get, and when.
There’s a smarter way forward
Instead of theatrics and treaty withdrawals, responsible government would:
Reform Article 8 through Parliament.
Clarify the application of Article 3 with enforceable safeguards.
Maintain the UK’s international commitments while balancing security and fairness.
This approach addresses practical problems without isolating the UK, undermining democracy, or putting ordinary citizens at risk.
Vox Political‘s verdict
Badenoch claims leaving the ECHR is about sovereignty.
In reality, it is about consolidating political power and weakening legal checks on government overreach.
The people the Tories say they are protecting are not the ordinary citizens of the UK — they are the wealthy and politically connected elites who benefit when rights can be overridden at will.
If the UK exits the ECHR, we won’t just lose protections for migrants — we all stand to lose our rights, our freedoms, and our place among Europe’s democratic nations.
This is not immigration policy.
It is a direct threat to your human rights.
Share this post:
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