Paul Nowak Column: ‘The left has a political and moral duty to defend the ECHR’
The Conservatives have now confirmed they want Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Kemi Badenoch’s weekend announcement has been years in the making, but we must be clear about what it means.
The populist right want to rip up protections for ordinary people and distract from the real crises they’ve created.
Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick and Nigel Farage are locked in a grotesque arms race – each trying to outdo the other with ever more xenophobic, headline-chasing policies.
Just like during the EU referendum they’re peddling a false promise – that leaving the ECHR will somehow solve problems caused by their own political failure.
READ MORE: What has the European Convention on Human Rights ever done for us?
Let’s be crystal clear. Leaving won’t stop the boats. It won’t speed up asylum claims. It won’t create safe routes or a fairer system.
What it will do is strip away rights working people rely on and wreck vital cooperation with France and others tackling smuggling gangs and dangerous crossings.
It will leave the UK in the company of Russia and Belarus – the only countries in Europe outside the Convention. That’s not strength. That’s a recipe for global isolation and domestic chaos.
The ECHR isn’t a foreign imposition. It was drafted by British lawyers after the Second World War.
It guarantees basic protections – freedoms that unions and workers have fought for over generations; whether it’s freedom of association, protection from discrimination, the right to privacy or the ban on forced labour.
These aren’t abstract or a ‘nice-to-have’. They matter in real workplaces.
Take the case of Fiona Mercer. Fiona, a care worker and union rep, was punished for taking lawful strike action. UK law didn’t protect her. But the ECHR did and the Supreme Court agreed her right to strike had been abused.
That’s what’s at stake here.
The Tories used to claim to be the party of law and order. But in their desperation to ape Reform they now want to shred legal principles and undermine our democracy.
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Let’s not pretend this is about migration. This is a political stunt – a smokescreen for the Tories’ failure to tackle the cost of living crisis, for their appalling record on public services and for their manifest failure to deliver for working families.
Instead of looking to fix the mess they created they are scapegoating migrants, trade unions and international law.
The populist right want to roll back rights. We can’t let them.
The Left, including Labour, has a duty – not just political, but moral – to defend the ECHR. It’s a fight for everyone who believes in dignity, fairness and accountability.
This isn’t just about the ECHR. It’s about what kind of country we want to be.
The TUC will always stand up for human rights, for workers’ rights and for the rule of law. And we call on every MP that claims to believe in democracy to do the same.
Left Foot Forward
The TUC has warned that the Tory plan to withdraw from the (ECHR) ‘isn’t about migration, it’s about dismantling the legal protections that ordinary people rely on every day’.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned that the Tories’ plan to leave the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) will undermine and undo workers’ rights.
While Tory leader Kemi Badenoch announced this week that her party would take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights if it wins the next election, more voters prefer the UK to remain a member of the ECHR than those who wish to leave it, a new poll has found.
The poll, carried out by YouGov, found that Britons want to remain a member of the ECHR by 46%, compared to 29% who prefer to withdraw.
The Conservative Party claims that staying in the ECHR blocks migration reform and is being used to obstruct efforts to deport foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers.
However, Badenoch has been criticised for her proposals which seek to mimic those being put forward by Reform UK, with the Prime Minister previously warning that leaving the ECHR would put the country in the same “camp” as Russia and Belarus.
Now the TUC has warned that the Tory plan to withdraw from the (ECHR) ‘isn’t about migration, it’s about dismantling the legal protections that ordinary people rely on every day’.
It said in a statement:
“The ECHR underpins many of the rights that protect workers in the UK. Through its incorporation into domestic law via the Human Rights Act, it guarantees key workers’ rights principles like:
The prohibition of slavery and forced labour
The right to a fair trial
The right to privacy and family life
Freedom of association (including the right to join a union)
Protection from discrimination
“These aren’t abstract legal concepts. They’re the foundation of rights that trade unions and working people have fought for and won over decades. From defending workers against intrusive surveillance at work, from discrimination because of sexual orientation, and protecting workers against modern slavery, the ECHR has been a crucial tool in holding employers and the state to account.”
The TUC also highlighted how leaving the ECHR would cause reputational damage to the UK. It went on to add: “Leaving the ECHR echoes the worst instincts of the populist right: scapegoating international institutions and disregarding the rule of law. If the UK leaves the ECHR, it would join Russia and Belarus as the only European countries outside the Convention. That’s not the company we should be keeping.
“Leaving the ECHR would be a threat to stability on the island of Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement is underpinned by UK membership of the ECHR. It was a historic achievement, with trade unions having played a critical role in their support. Commitment to internationally-agreed human rights standards has cross-community importance and is integral to ensuring lasting peace. This is an achievement we should be proud of, not seek to undermine.
“Leaving the ECHR would strip away access to justice and leave workers more vulnerable to exploitation, discrimination, and abuse.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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