Suella Braverman calls for UK to leave ‘political’ ECHR in wake of Rwanda ruling
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Suella Braverman has thrown down the gauntlet to her leadership rivals by saying they should follow her in committing to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights.
The Attorney General, who was the first Tory candidate out of the blocks, before Boris Johnson had resigned, said that it was necessary to get on with delivering Brexit.
Concern over the power that the Strasbourg court has over domestic UK laws came to the fore once again during the attempts to deport refugees to Rwanda, which was blocked by the ECHR.
“When people voted for Brexit they expected we would take back control of our borders,” Ms Braverman said.
“It is unacceptable that a foreign court had stopped the Rwandan deportation flight.
“The British people should be able to vote for their priorities and expect that their government can carry them out. This is the definition of taking back control.
“As Attorney General I’ve seen first hand the problems the ECHR has caused us.
“Obstructing lawful, politically legitimate deportations by going to the ECHR destroys trust in politics. And does nothing for public safety, or the wellbeing of the victims of people smugglers.”
The Conservative Party has had a long history of disagreement with the European court, and has on numerous occasions not ruled out leaving it.
In 2013, Theresa May said that all options remained on the table to deal with the court’s interpretation of human rights, but the UK has still remained a member.
The most recent Government position, fronted by Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, sought to circumvent ECHR decisions using a new Bill of Rights, rather than simply exiting the body.
“Keeping us in the ECHR simply fuels the misery of people trafficking in the channel,” said Ms Braverman.
“With all the horrible tragedies that inevitably result from that. We should be better than this.
“We have a long, proud history of respecting human rights in this country. But the ECHR has become a political court which is thwarting our democracy.
“If any of the candidates are serious about tackling illegal immigration and fully taking back control of our borders then they must also commit to leaving. “
However the policy has attracted some disagreement from Tory backbenchers, such as Julian Smith, the former Northern Ireland secretary and chief whip.
“The ECHR is key to the Good Friday Agreement,” he tweeted on Sunday.
“It is worth bearing in mind the stark international consequences on trade deals, credibility and trust if the Conservative leadership contest starts undermining the GFA.”
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