More than 16 countries are believed to support UK attempts to reform the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The convention has often been blamed for hampering attempts to curb illegal immigration and has been cited for preventing some with no right to remain from being deported.
Under proposals being considered by British ministers the power of courts to prevent deportations until the culmination of hearings and appeals, something which can take years, would be limited. It is hoped that the Government would be given increased power to deport people, even if it is deemed that doing so would have an impact on migrants’ right to a family life. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the European relations minister, told The Times: “The prime minister and I went to Copenhagen with a mission: to modernise how the ECHR is interpreted — not to abandon it.
“To work with partners, not posture against them. We have a coalition of European countries now backing Britain’s approach.”
In order to make the changes, the ECHR would likely require amendments to allow countries to take increased measures to control the flow of people over their borders and would see the balance of power tip closer to governments than asylum seekers.
It is hoped that doing so would prevent high-profile cases of people being allowed to remain in the country due to obscure and controversial reasons.
Earlier this year, an Albanian criminal was allowed to remain in the UK partly because his son refuses to eat chicken nuggets available abroad.
16 countries attended a meeting in Copenhagen this month to discuss how the changes could be implemented.
Countries backing the changes include Austria, Belgium, Italy and Poland. They have been joined by other countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia and the Czech Republic, according to the Times.
Last week the Conservatives vowed to remove Britain from the convention if they won the next general election, something that would be a mistake according to a Tory grandee who backed calls for the convention to be amended.
Baron Heseltine, who served as deputy prime minister to John Major, told a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester that attempts should be made to reform the ECHR if there is unhappiness about its powers.
The Tory peer said Europe-wide laws had helped to provide stability on the content, after centuries of conflict including two world wars.
He also implicitly criticised Tory rhetoric towards asylum seekers, saying it would create “the worst sort of prejudice” in Britain.
Lord Heseltine said: “We must not abandon the shared laws of Europe.”
He continued: “If any changes are required, the worst thing is to walk out and turn our back on one of the most civilised of European creations.”
Lord Heseltine was a cabinet minister for large parts of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership. The conference takes place a week before the centenary of her birth. The exhibition hall of the conference includes a display of three of her most famous outfits.
In recent years Lord Heseltine has been better known as a pro-European campaigner, and opposed Brexit.
He added: “The right way is to follow David Cameron’s example and seek change by agreement as he did in 2012 with the Brighton Declaration.
“It is more than possible that the widespread concerns about asylum seekers across Europe would make a review welcome to many signatories.”