Leaving the ECHR is the only way to stop judges making political decisions, according to a blistering new report from former Cabinet minister Lord Lilley for the Centre for Policy Studies. The “vague” rights enshrined in the Convention mean courts are free to interpret them however they like, which “unavoidably politicises judicial decisions and undermines the rule of law.” Lord Hermer, are you listening?
Lilley takes about the usual scare stories about quitting the ECHR. He argues it wouldn’t breach the Good Friday Agreement – which requires ECHR rights to be in Northern Ireland law, not UK-wide law – wouldn’t violate our EU trade deal, and wouldn’t endanger human rights. If countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand can function just fine outside the ECHR, so can we…
Meanwhile, Home Office figures show the proportion of asylum claims granted at first instance has jumped from 25% in 2010 to 67% in 2023. A staggering 42,000 asylum seekers are still awaiting appeal outcomes – and around 40% of those appeals cite human rights. That’s tens of thousands of cases tangled up in lefty lawyer games, with judges using the ECHR as a weapon to push political agendas. Time to leave…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”