Thérèse Coffey hit out at the speed at which the European Convention on Human Rights managed to intervene in last night’s deportation flight to Rwanda during the media rounds this morning.
The Tory MP told Sky News: “Frankly the government is disappointed in the decision. I’ve never known such a quick decision made by the ECHR…and I think the public will be surprised we have European judges overruling British judges.”
Richard Tice has joined several other prominent right-wingers in calling for the UK to quit the convention.
Speaking on GB News he told host Patrick Christys: “This country should withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights with immediate effect.”
Boris Johnson has also refused to rule out pulling out of the ECHR – despite previously supporting it.
The PM told broadcasters: “The legal world is very good at picking up ways of trying to stop the Government from upholding what we think is a sensible law.
“Will it be necessary to change some rules to help us as we go along? It very well may be.”
But the UK would not be in good company if it quit the convention.
Earlier this year Russia pulled out of the human rights watchdog following its invasion of Ukraine, which would have seen it been expelled anyway.
Greece is the only other nation to have pulled out in 1969, also to avoid expulsion, after a group of army officers seized power in a military coup.
It rejoined after restoring democracy five years later.