The European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) has come under attack from Reform UK and the Conservative party. With many politicians and parties threatening to withdraw the UK from the ECHR.
The EHCR has protected many of our civil liberties – intervening to enshrine workers rights, freedom from slavery and protecting children from harm. Particularly evocative is Article 10 of the convention, which protects freedom of expression and information.
This Council Motion is particularly powerful in councils with a strong Reform UK administration / presence – drawing attention to the consequences of their rhetoric on withdrawing the UK from the EHCR.
Please use the template Council Motion below and adapt it for your council.
Council notes the significant positive impact the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) has had on Britain since it came into force in 1953. The convention has made important interventions to protect children from abuse, worker’s rights and civil liberties.
One of the most important protocols on the ECHR is Article 10, which provides the right to freedom of expression and information. This article protects the public’s right to hold opinions, to freely express them, to protest and demonstrate and to receive information from a free press.
Council notes that the ECHR has come under attack from certain political parties recently, included Reform UK who planned to remove the United Kingdom for the ECHR in their 2024 General Election manifesto.
Council believes this would be a disastrous decision that would leave fundamental civil liberties such as freedom of expression and protest at risk from Government interference. The ECHR was established after World War 2 to protect fundamental human rights in Europe. Winston Churchill was one of it’s key architects.
Council resolves to:
- Foster a culture of freedom of expression in [AREA NAME] and to review our engagement and consultation policies to be as open and transparent as possible.
- Write to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice to express Council’s support for the ECHR and the protection if gives our fundamental freedoms.