Former Labour Minister Straw Calls for UK to Decouple from ECHR Amid Migrant Deportation Debate

Debate over Britain's relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has intensified amid the ongoing Channel migrant crisis. Former Labour Home Secretaries Jack Straw and David Blunkett have called for Britain to 'decouple' from the ECHR or temporarily suspend its membership to enable more effective deportation of illegal migrants, arguing that the convention is being misused by courts to block removals. However, current Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer firmly opposes leaving or suspending the ECHR, warning that doing so would put the UK in the same category as countries like Russia and Belarus, and emphasizing respect for international law. Meanwhile, Conservative figures such as Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage support leaving the ECHR, with Farage pledging to scrap the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British bill of rights if elected. The government remains focused on policy measures to address migration, rejecting calls to renegotiate key agreements tied to the ECHR. Public and political discourse continues to be polarized on whether reforming or abandoning the ECHR is the appropriate response to the migrant crisis.