Keir Starmer is facing criticism for a “moral retreat” after he urged European leaders to consider loosening certain protections contained within the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The prime minister argues that stricter measures are needed to address irregular migration and believes that adjusting aspects of the ECHR could help mainstream governments manage the issue more effectively, reducing support for populist far-right parties.
In a joint article for The Guardian with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, Starmer wrote: “The best way to counter those who promote division is to show that mainstream, progressive politics can resolve this challenge.
“Listening to legitimate concerns and acting on them is central to our political system. That is not populism; it is democracy. We are committed to demonstrating that our societies can be compassionate while also upholding law, order and fairness.”
His intervention comes as the Conservatives and Reform UK continue to call for the UK’s full withdrawal from the ECHR.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme Director, said: “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. It shows how far we have drifted from the moral resolve of the last century, when our grandparents determined that the fact we are all born free and equal must be protected in law.
“Human rights were never meant to be optional or reserved for comfortable and secure times. They were designed to be a compass, our conscience, when the politics of fear and division try to steer us wrong. To weaken ECHR protections now, on a day meant to reaffirm dignity and protection for all, is not reform. It is moral retreat.
“You cannot protect the majority’s rights by attacking the rights of minorities. That is the opposite of universal human rights. Appeasement of anti-rights demands has never satisfied those who want full withdrawal from the ECHR. It only encourages them to push further.
“The very idea that Mr Lammy might soften our commitment to those fleeing war and danger, simply because times are politically difficult, should shame us all. International human rights treaties are promises. As was clear when they were first made, when times are hardest it is most vital these promises are kept.”