Today in Focus Will weakening human rights really stop the far right? – The Latest
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Dec 10, 2025 Pippa Crerar, Political Editor at the Guardian and host of Politics Weekly UK, dives into the controversial proposal from Labour leader Keir Starmer for reforming human rights laws. She discusses how these reforms may potentially abandon vulnerable populations and demonize refugees. Pippa highlights which European Convention on Human Rights articles are targeted, critiques from human rights advocates, and the political risks of aligning the UK with hardline governments like Hungary and Italy.
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Reform Push Rooted In Immigration Politics
- The government's push to reform the ECHR is driven largely by immigration politics and the rise of Nigel Farage.
- Pippa Crerar says reform aims to make deportations easier by narrowing Articles 3 and 8.
Two-Pronged Strategy: Treaty And Domestic Law
- The UK wants both formal ECHR changes and domestic legal 'modernisation' to alter how Articles 3 and 8 apply.
- The aim is to raise the threshold for asylum and deportation decisions in UK courts.
Europe Split Over Narrowing Protections
- The UK signed an unofficial political statement with 27 countries narrowing Articles 3 and 8, including Hungary and Italy.
- France and Germany refused to join that narrower statement, revealing clear EU splits on migration policy.