Press release

Conservative Plans to Leave European Convention of Human Rights Condemned

 

03/10/2025

ClientEarth lawyers are sounding the alarm over reports that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce a plan to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) this weekend. 

Kyle Lischak, Head of UK at ClientEarth said:

“The European Convention on Human Rights is one of the cornerstones of fundamental rights that protect people, their families and communities across the UK. It ensures that governments and authorities, that are there to serve the public, cannot put themselves above the law. 

“Abandoning it would destabilise the UK’s legal system, risk breaching international agreements, and strip people of a last-resort safeguard. It would also send a signal that governments can pick and choose which legal obligations to respect, a precedent that would be deeply damaging for both human rights and environmental protections. 

“Britain once led the world by showing that the rule of law makes us stronger. Tearing this up would weaken our democracy and leave ordinary people exposed. The ECHR is not a political football, it is a safeguard for justice itself.”

ENDS

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. ClientEarth teams in Europe, Asia and the USA work to shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.