Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called on European leaders to urgently update the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent asylum seekers from using it to avoid deportation. In a joint article with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen published in The Guardian, Starmer argued that the current asylum framework is outdated and must be modernised to address mass migration and the rise of right-wing parties across Europe.
“The current asylum framework was created for another era. In a world with mass mobility, yesterday’s answers do not work,” Starmer wrote. He emphasised that while the UK will always protect those fleeing war and terror, asylum systems must adapt to changing circumstances. The Prime Minister called for dismantling human smuggling networks and making migration “orderly, managed and sustainable.”
Last month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans to stop migrants using the ECHR to avoid deportation. However, both the Conservatives and Reform UK argue this does not go far enough and have called for a complete withdrawal from the convention. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has also warned the favourite to be the next French President that Britain will tow migrant dinghies back across the Channel unless the small boats crisis is resolved.
Meanwhile, Starmer faced a new Brexit headache as 13 Labour MPs backed a Liberal Democrat motion to create a new EU/UK customs union. The motion passed by a single vote and will now proceed to further debate and a second vote. The rebellion included prominent left-wing MPs and a senior select committee chairwoman.
