The United Kingdom has gained support from at least 16 European countries in its push to reform the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The move aims to reduce the legal barriers that often prevent the deportation of migrants who have no right to stay in the country.
British ministers are reportedly considering new proposals to limit the power of courts to delay deportations through lengthy appeals. The reforms would allow the government to remove people faster, even in cases where deportation could affect their right to family life. According to Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK’s Minister for European Relations, the goal is to modernize the interpretation of the ECHR — not to abandon it.
“The prime minister and I went to Copenhagen with a mission to modernize how the ECHR is interpreted,” he said. “We now have a coalition of European countries backing Britain’s approach.”
Under these proposals, governments would have more power to control their borders and make decisions on deportations. The change could shift the balance of power away from asylum seekers and closer to national governments. Supporters say this would prevent controversial cases where migrants are allowed to remain in a country for unusual or minor reasons.
One case cited earlier this year involved an Albanian man who was allowed to stay in the UK partly because his child refused to eat chicken nuggets available abroad. The story has been used to highlight how current ECHR rules can be interpreted in ways that block deportations.
A total of 16 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Italy, Poland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia, and the Czech Republic, attended the meeting in Copenhagen this month to discuss how to implement these reforms.
However, not everyone supports the UK’s approach. Senior Conservative politician Lord Heseltine warned that leaving the ECHR would be a major mistake. Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, he said that Europe-wide laws had provided stability after centuries of conflict and should not be abandoned.
He also criticized harsh rhetoric towards asylum seekers, saying it could lead to “the worst sort of prejudice” in Britain. “We must not abandon the shared laws of Europe,” Lord Heseltine said. “If changes are needed, they should be made through cooperation and reform, not isolation.”
What does this mean for migrant rights in Europe?
If the UK’s proposals move forward, it could reshape how European countries handle migrant deportations. While supporters see it as a necessary step to speed up removals, critics warn that it could weaken protections for vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers.
Lord Heseltine added that reforms should follow the example of the Brighton Declaration of 2012, which aimed to improve the ECHR through dialogue rather than division. Many European leaders now believe that reviewing the convention could help address the growing public concern over migration.