Kemi Badenoch warned Tory party ‘will die’ unless it makes one major change
Barrister Steven Bartlett has issued a stark warning that the Conservative Party will “die” if it fails to commit to leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The legal expert’s comments come as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch signals a potential shift in the party’s stance on ECHR membership.
Speaking about the Conservatives’ resolve to exit the human rights treaty, Bartlett said: “I’m a constitutionalist and I believe in and support the constitution of the UK. We have first past the post for a reason. If they haven’t got the stomach for this, I think their party will probably die. That’s what happens.”
Bartlett delivered a scathing assessment of the ECHR’s role in British governance.
“It has become very fashionable, particularly in London circles, to believe certain things are good. They think they’re morally good for supporting the ECHR,” he said.
He dismissed the institution as “just an office building in Strasbourg staffed with a bunch of foreign legal academics who don’t necessarily know or care about our country.”
The barrister argued that having the ECHR as “the supreme legal authority” could be detrimental to the UK’s governance.
“It probably would be better not to have that as the supreme legal authority in your country if you want your country to be governed well,” he stated.
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In a major policy speech today, Badenoch signalled that ECHR membership could be on the table as part of the Conservatives’ “new approach” to immigration.
The Tory leader, who previously dismissed leaving the ECHR as a “silver bullet” during the leadership election, has now shifted her stance.
“We will review every policy, treaty and part of our legal framework – including the ECHR and the Human Rights Act,” Badenoch told an audience at the Centre for Policy Studies.
The ECHR has been a significant obstacle for the Conservative Party’s immigration policies, having previously been used to halt attempts to deport unauthorised migrants from the UK.
Badenoch outlined several key elements of the Conservatives’ proposed immigration strategy.
The party is considering implementing “a strict numerical cap, with visas only for those who will make a substantial and clear overall contribution.”
While declining to specify the exact figure for the cap, Badenoch emphasised she wanted a detailed plan in place first.
“I’m not somebody who just talks. I’m not a lawyer. I’m an engineer. Before we say things, we have to have a proper plan about how we deliver on the cap,” she said.
The Tory leader also pledged “zero tolerance for foreign criminals remaining in the UK” and promised greater transparency in migration data.