UK Is Being “Mugged” by Illegal Immigration and May Need to Leave ECHR

 Kemi Badenoch: UK Is Being “Mugged” by Illegal Immigration and May Need to Leave ECHR

Kemi Badenoch has issued a stark warning over the state of the UK’s borders, claiming the country is being “mugged” by illegal immigration and can no longer afford to be the “world’s softest touch.”

In a major policy statement, the Conservative leader said the UK has “lost control of the asylum system” and pledged to crack down on the use of lawfare — legal tactics that are preventing effective border control and migrant deportations.

Badenoch also raised the prospect of the UK withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which she says is being exploited to block efforts to deport migrants.

“Britain is being mugged,” she said. “I have always said that if we need to leave the convention, we should.”

To explore the legal and constitutional implications, Mrs Badenoch announced the creation of a new commission, chaired by Lord Wolfson, the shadow attorney general. The commission will investigate the steps the UK would need to take to exit the ECHR in order to strengthen its immigration policy and regain control over its asylum system.

“Having now considered the question closely,” she added, “I do believe that we will likely need to leave, because I am yet to see a clear and coherent way to fix this within our current legal structures.”

A final decision on whether to leave the ECHR will be made once the commission delivers its findings later this autumn.

This latest intervention places Kemi Badenoch at the centre of the debate over the future of the UK’s immigration laws, human rights obligations, and international agreements.

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