'A Grave Political Error': Tories Hit Out At Kemi Badenoch Over Plan To Leave ECHR

Britain's Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, waits to appear on the BBC One current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg at Media City, in Salford, England, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.Senior Conservatives have hit out at Kemi Badenoch over her plan to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights.The Tory leader told her party’s conference in Manchester that she would quit the ECHR if she becomes prime minister – although that looks pretty unlikely right now, as they’re polling at 16%.Nevertheless, she claimed the international agreement makes it harder to cut immigration.Senior figures within the party have been arguing for months that the ECHR is inhibiting Britain’s ability to deport foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers.The polling success of Reform UK – known for its hardline migration policies and its own plans to leave the ECHR – is also likely to have contributed to Badenoch’s new policy.Labour, meanwhile, has only pledged to rethink certain elements of the treaty rather than scrapping it altogether.Badenoch also told GB News that all future Tory candidates would have to agree with this principle, arguing: “We cannot have a party where people do not abide by manifesto commitments.”However, Badenoch’s radical idea has not gone down well with everyone in the party.David Cameron’s attorney general Dominic Grieve – now co-president of the European Movement – warned leaving the ECHR would breach other key agreements.He said: “The advice received by Kemi Badenoch shows clearly that leaving the ECHR will come at great cost. It will end at minimum all security co-operation with the EU and probably the TCA itself with all the economic implications that come from this.”He added: “It is plainly in breach of the Belfast/ Good Friday agreement an international treaty that underpins the Northern Ireland peace process.“All this is for very little benefit. The advice is honest enough to point out that leaving does not solve all the problems of deporting criminals and remaining failed asylum seekers. The reality is however starker.“It is largely peripheral to these issues. By leaving we will damage ourselves and our international standing and the electorate will see almost no impact on dealing with illegal immigration.” Iain Dale – a broadcaster who briefly stood as the Tory candidate for Tunbridge Wells in the 2024 general election – warned her against forcing future Conservative candidates to back the idea.“One of the lessons from history is that broad church parties win elections,” he said in a post on X. “Ask Thatcher, Reagan, Clinton, Blair and Cameron.“Parties which insist on ideological purity eventually become narrow sects and are destined to lose, over and over again. Conservatives be warned.”Boris Johnson’s justice secretary Robert Buckland also wrote in ConservativeHome that “it would be a profound mistake to go down this path” and leave the ECHR.He said: “Conservatism, unlike cheap populism, should be about constitutional stewardship: leaving behind institutions stronger than we found them.“Our international political and economic influence depends on us taking an active and leading part in international bodies. That is the Conservative way. On the ECHR, we should be standing firm, not seeking to walk away.” Similarly, former Tory minister Tobias Ellwood, who lost his seat to Labour last year, also said Badenoch’s vision was “a sad day for Conservatism”.“Very, very dangerous precedent and a grave political and strategic error,” he told Times Radio. “When did we stop being that broad church party that welcomes internal debate, able to reflect a broad range of views – but firmly united in our values?”He continued: “Never, never, can I recall conditionality planed on foreign policy as an entry test to standing as a candidate. It is not the Conservative way, and it will see the party slide further into the extreme and further away from ever returning to office.“I wager that most MPs, let alone candidates are even familiar with details of the ECHR, and yet these clarion calls to leave suggest there’s a silver bullet to solve illegal migration.” “This is a soundbite to resolve a very complex issue,” Ellwood noted. “This is not the way the Conservative party does business.“I strongly urge the party leader to reconsider because this is not in Britain’s interests.”A sad day for Conservatism:👉Support for specific foreign policy should not be conditional for MP candidacy👉Leaving the ECHR won’t magically fix migration👉The quality of UK political debate & statecraft is decliningLet's keep the bar high.My thoughts on @TimesRadiopic.twitter.com/4Lh6stMIzC— Tobias Ellwood (@Tobias_Ellwood) October 5, 2025

Comments

Breaking news

Chilling moment woman ‘opens suitcase in Paris bar containing body of schoolgirl, 12, she raped and murdered’

Metro

Pictured: Company boss, 51, found 'murdered' in his own home two weeks after his wife died of cancer - as man, 31, is arrested

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Balcony collapse horror near University of Cincinnati as students plunge from 3rd floor while celebrating exams

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Top flight horse race is won by biggest-ever outsider in stunning 200-1 record upset

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Prince Andrew 'gagged' Virginia Giuffre for a year so the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations wouldn't be tarnished, book claims

about 3 hours ago

Burnley and Leeds stars are booed for taking the knee - as one player refuses to perform the gesture

Dailymail

Gary Neville comes under fire at Salford game as fan - who is wearing shirt calling pundit a 'traitor' - plants St George's flag in centre circle amid chants labelling him 'a w****r'

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Awkward wardrobe malfunction forces referee to intervene as Royal Albert Hall hosts Grand Sumo Tournament

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Kelly Osbourne cuts a heartbreaking figure as she clutches Ozzy's lifetime achievement award and says it 'would have meant the world to him'

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

British citizens who fought for Israel in Gaza should be tried for war crimes when they come home, Scottish Greens say

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Carol Vorderman, 64, reveals she's been 'very poorly' as she issues a major health update after being forced to quit her radio show following hospital scare

about 3 hours ago

Dailymail

Croissant for £42, caviar with scrambled eggs for £750 and a £48 omelette: How Michelin-starred breakfast became latest eating fad

about 3 hours ago

NHS nurse gets £300 parking fine while at work - as thousands of colleagues are targeted every year, new figures show

Dailymail

Comments

Breaking news

Chilling moment woman ‘opens suitcase in Paris bar containing body of schoolgirl, 12, she raped and murdered’

New clue in search for boys aged 16 and 17 who went missing over three weeks ago

Border Force crews in English Channel to ditch patrols in strike over pay

US Embassy issues warning to Americans in Trinidad and Tobago as tensions with Venezuela escalate

New grisly details emerge about NYC teen who allegedly beheaded mom’s boyfriend, according to reports

Brexit impact on UK economy ‘negative for foreseeable future,’ Bailey says

Tutankhamun’s tomb at risk of collapse in most fragile state since its discovery 100 years ago

Yemen's Houthi rebels raid a UN facility but all staff are reported safe

Netanyahu pours cold water on claims that Gaza’s Rafah crossing will reopen

Developing Rosebank oil field ‘pure climate vandalism’, Scottish Green insists

Prince Andrew ‘gagged Virginia Giuffre to protect Queen’s jubilee year’

New blood test for 50 cancers ‘could make substantial difference to outcomes’

Ten injured after balcony collapses near University of Cincinnati as students were celebrating end of exams

Developing Rosebank oil field ‘pure climate vandalism’, Scottish Green insists

Jewish film festival postponed after cinemas ‘refuse to host events’

Police launch investigation after bar worker, 19, found dead in Manchester flat

US jury issues $20M verdict against French bank BNP Paribas over Sudanese atrocities

Reform’s newest MP Danny Kruger: ‘On a personal level I deeply regret rejecting the Tory party’

Lady Annabel Goldsmith death: Socialite who gave her name to London nightclub dies, aged 91

Skeletal woman 'locked in bedroom for 27 years' utters three chilling words

School staff member dies 'after being kicked in chest by pupil'

Scots mum's blurry vision during pregnancy uncovered as serious brain condition

Police probe new allegation against Scots Tinder rapist who faked own death

Portugal set for burka ban

Protesters in Germany demand removal of Madeleine McCann suspect

Prince Andrew still worth £3.7m even after losing all his royal titles

Three UK areas told by Met Office to prepare emergency kit - see if yours is one

EastEnders 90s heartthrobs now - drugs, illness and 'clown feuds'

Urgent warning as 'dangerous' fake weight loss drug is being pushed on social media

Aldi urgently recalls steaks over health fears as shoppers warned 'DO NOT EAT'

Prince William 'was driving force' behind Andrew giving up titles, claims royal expert

Donald Trump protests live: No Kings march in Washington DC attracts tens of thousands

Queen's one-word response to Prince Andrew's allegations before she passed

Burglary suspect does a poo in courtroom and lobs it at the judge before verdict

Ange Postecoglou SACKED by Nottingham Forest just minutes after heavy Chelsea loss

This hot chocolate advent calendar saves you £2 a day on fancy takeaway drinks

Pictured: Company boss, 51, found 'murdered' in his own home two weeks after his wife died of cancer - as man, 31, is arrested

Balcony collapse horror near University of Cincinnati as students plunge from 3rd floor while celebrating exams

Top flight horse race is won by biggest-ever outsider in stunning 200-1 record upset

Prince Andrew 'gagged' Virginia Giuffre for a year so the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations wouldn't be tarnished, book claims

Burnley and Leeds stars are booed for taking the knee - as one player refuses to perform the gesture

Net Zero destroyed my home: Father-of-one reveals how eco-friendly scheme cost him £250k and 'ripped his life apart'

Fury as historic Scottish sailing ship is towed out to sea and deliberately sunk off the coast of Hawaii

Gary Neville comes under fire at Salford game as fan - who is wearing shirt calling pundit a 'traitor' - plants St George's flag in centre circle amid chants labelling him 'a w****r'

Awkward wardrobe malfunction forces referee to intervene as Royal Albert Hall hosts Grand Sumo Tournament

Kelly Osbourne cuts a heartbreaking figure as she clutches Ozzy's lifetime achievement award and says it 'would have meant the world to him'

British citizens who fought for Israel in Gaza should be tried for war crimes when they come home, Scottish Greens say

Carol Vorderman, 64, reveals she's been 'very poorly' as she issues a major health update after being forced to quit her radio show following hospital scare

Croissant for £42, caviar with scrambled eggs for £750 and a £48 omelette: How Michelin-starred breakfast became latest eating fad

NHS nurse gets £300 parking fine while at work - as thousands of colleagues are targeted every year, new figures show

Inside Postecoglou's 39 days to forget at Forest

David Attenborough becomes oldest Daytime Emmy winner

Louisiana resident assisted in Hamas 7 October attack, US says

Watch: Brits row from Peru to Australia in tiny boat

Giuffre brother calls on King to strip Andrew of prince title

Eleven killed after Israel hits bus in Gaza, Hamas-run civil defence says

‘I dressed as Thatcher for Halloween 13 years ago as a joke – now it’s my full-time job’

Mystery of ‘crocodile’ spotted in UK river solved after police’s ‘strangest appeal ever’

Terrifying moment fire breaks out on plane travelling at 33,000ft

Fire chief’s home set ablaze after dog chews through lithium battery