Keir Starmer has said arguments from some calling for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights are just a repeat of the lies told to sell Brexit.
This week, the prime minister called out Brexit as he delivered his speech at the annual Lady Mayor’s banquet, an event traditionally used to set out foreign policy for the year ahead.
Speaking to those in attendance, Sir Keir said Brexit “broke” the widely-held consensus that Britain should be a outward-looking leading power on the world stage.
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The PM hit out at how Brexit was “sold and delivered”, saying that “wild promises were made to the British people and not fulfilled.”
He then drew parallels between the empty promises and falsehoods used to sell Brexit and the current arguments from many of the same people claiming Britain should leave the ECHR.
The Tories and Reform are both calling for the UK to withdraw from the ECHR, claiming that this is the only way the country can address the small boats crisis.
But Sir Keir said the idea withdrawing from the convention is a magic bullet is simply a repeat of the “wild promises” made about Brexit.
“The idea that leaving the EU was the answer to all our cares and concerns has clearly been proved wrong, but that same spurious argument is now being made about the European Convention on Human Rights, with the same wild promises being made to the country by the same people,” he said.
“To consider Brexit a template for our future foreign policy is utterly reckless.
“It’s an attitude of total impunity that says ‘insult our neighbours, severe our alliances, choose between the EU and the US, severe links with China.'”