POLL: Should leaving the ECHR be a priority for the Tories?

The Conservative Party's manifesto, launched earlier this week, notably omitted any mention of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In the manifesto, the Tories spoke of prioritizing the UK’s border security over the “jurisdiction of a foreign court, including the European Court of Human Rights.”

However, when pressed on the matter during the manifesto launch, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not commit to withdrawing from the ECHR if it fails to reform.

Penny Mordaunt, a prominent Conservative figure, has asserted that Britain must be prepared to leave the convention if necessary.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mordaunt said: “As someone who campaigned to leave the EU, if you want to reform the practices of such institutions, you have to be prepared to leave them. I would, as my record shows.”

Mordaunt's stance aligns with calls from other right-wing Conservatives like Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, who advocate for quitting the ECHR.

When asked if leaving the ECHR could be a pivotal issue in the upcoming General Election, Mordaunt suggested the manifesto needed to be “quite radical” but clarified that “It doesn’t necessarily mean tearing up everything.” She warned that without reform, the ECHR could face a Brexit-like "event."

“The lesson of Brexit is that if change is not a process, it becomes an event, and I think that there needs to also be some reflection in these institutions if they want to continue as they are about how they are actually going about their business,” Mordaunt explained.

She added that the ECHR had complicated the government’s efforts to implement its Rwanda scheme and manage UK border protection.

Notably, during the 2022 Tory leadership race, Mordaunt stated she would not support withdrawing from the ECHR, indicating a potential shift in her position on the issue.

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