Labour ministers are weighing reforms to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as part of a rightward shift on migration aimed at halting Reform UK’s advance, with polls showing Nigel Farage’s party opening up a double-digit lead.
According to The Sunday Times, new home secretary Shabana Mahmood is exploring options that could include changes to Britain’s relationship with the ECHR, with one source saying she would “start with the unthinkable and work backwards.” The ECHR underpins the Good Friday Agreement, but Farage has pledged to withdraw from the treaty and replace it with a British Bill of Rights that applies only to citizens and those with legal residence.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has also said she would examine the case for leaving the convention.
Mahmood, a former justice secretary, is under pressure to speed up asylum processing and reduce the reliance on hotels to house migrants. She is expected to announce that asylum seekers will be moved into barracks on former military bases, according to the Telegraph.
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