Nigel Farage and now the Conservatives want to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) – a treaty Winston Churchill helped create in the ashes of the Second World War.
This isn’t just a point of principle. This is about retaining the fundamental rights we have to protect ourselves against abuses of power by governments – something more relevant now than it has been for a long time. With the rise of authoritarianism around the world and far-right politicians like Nigel Farage on the march and tipped to win the next election, we would be fools to allow anyone to take these protections away.
Think of the ECHR like a fire escape. You might not notice it day to day, but when things go wrong, it can be the difference between life and death. The ECHR is not something we need day-to-day but, when we need it, we NEED it.
It protects:
- our right to protest against unfair laws,
- our right to a fair trial, to privacy,
- our right to family life,
- our right to safety from torture or degrading treatment.
We have taken some of those things for granted in recent times…but we can do so no more.
If the United Kingdom were to abandon the ECHR, the risks consequences would be enormous. Our civil liberties would be weakened. Peace in Northern Ireland threatened. Britain’s standing around the world diminished.
Your MP needs to know that you oppose this reckless plan. Write to them today and remind them – human rights are not optional.
Join the ActionStorm HERE.
Myth-busting – what people get wrong based on the disinformation spread:
“It’s an EU thing.”
No. Only 24 per cent of people in a recent YouGov survey know, correctly, that the ECHR is not an EU body.
“It can strike down UK laws.”
No. Just 15 per cent know the Court can’t annul national laws; it can only find violations and require a remedy.
“It’s about fringe rights we don’t use.”
Not true. While most recognised the bans on torture (59 per cent) and the fair trial right (56 per cent), only 38 per cent knew free speech is protected – proof that misinformation is biting.
“It guarantees free healthcare or a general right to migrate.”
No. Only 37 per cent and 22 per cent respectively knew these are not ECHR rights.
So next time you hear a politician claim the ECHR is only about blocking deportations or “foreign courts meddling,” ask: who really benefits when your right to a fair trial or your freedom of speech is weakened? It won’t be the powerful. It will be ordinary people, especially the most vulnerable.
This is why we must act now. Write to your MP today and tell them to protect Britain’s place in the European Convention on Human Rights.
Let’s not find out what we’ve lost because it’s gone… Editor
