UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged European leaders to "modernise" the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights to enable tougher deportation policies for illegal migrants. The move, announced ahead of a crucial meeting of ministers from 46 countries in Strasbourg today, aims to counter the rise of far-right parties across Europe but has sparked accusations of a "moral retreat" from human rights advocates.
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy will attend the Council of Europe summit in Strasbourg to push for changes to how Articles 3 and 8 of the ECHR are interpreted. Article 3 prohibits torture and inhuman treatment, while Article 8 covers the right to family life. Both provisions are frequently cited in legal cases to prevent deportations.
Starmer made the appeal in a joint Guardian article with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. «The current asylum framework was created for another era. In a world with mass mobility, yesterday's answers do not work,» they wrote. The UK government hopes to secure a political declaration that could influence how the European Court of Human Rights interprets the convention.
What Lammy will propose
Lammy will tell European ministers that the ECHR «was never intended to be frozen in time» and must evolve to address modern migration challenges. He will argue: «The definition of 'family life' can't be stretched to prevent the removal of people with no right to remain in the country.»
The Justice Secretary will also call for constraining the threshold for what constitutes inhuman treatment. «The threshold of 'inhuman and degrading treatment' must be constrained to the most serious issues,» according to his prepared remarks. He will stress: «We must strike a careful balance between individual rights and the public's interest, otherwise, we risk a loss of confidence in the convention, and in human rights themselves.»
The UK government plans to introduce domestic legislation to change how Article 8 is interpreted in British courts and is considering reviewing Article 3 protections.
Fierce criticism on Human Rights Day
The timing has drawn sharp condemnation. The push for weaker protections coincides with the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee and migrant rights programme director at Amnesty International UK, called it a betrayal of fundamental principles. «There is a dreadful irony in our Justice Secretary working with his counterparts to remove or reduce rights on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,» he said.
He added: «To weaken ECHR protections now, on a day meant to reaffirm dignity and protection for all, is not reform. It is moral retreat.» Almost two dozen prominent figures, including Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley, have written to Starmer urging him to abandon the plans.
Political pressure from right and left
Starmer and Frederiksen argue their approach offers an alternative to far-right politics. «Together, we are calling on our friends across Europe to go further in tackling these shared challenges,» they wrote. «Migration must be orderly, managed and sustainable. Irregular routes should not be the go-to option – so we must dismantle the human smuggling networks that prey on desperation.»
The initiative follows declining poll ratings for Labour, partly driven by public concern over Channel boat crossings. Unlike the Conservative Party and Reform UK, both of which have pledged to leave the ECHR entirely, Labour insists it will remain within the convention.
Meanwhile, Jordan Bardella, leader of France's far-right National Rally party and frontrunner for the 2027 presidential elections, met with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in London on Tuesday. Bardella pledged to change French border policy to allow British patrol boats to push migrant dinghies back into French waters if he becomes president.
Nine ECHR member states, led by Italy and Denmark, called for reforms earlier this year. Member states hope to reach a political declaration on changes by spring, which would represent one of the most significant shifts in European human rights law since the ECHR's establishment in 1953.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
