Hold a referendum to decide if the UK should leave the ECHR.

We ask the government to arrange a public referendum on the UK’s membership in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This referendum could allow UK citizens to determine if we should continue adhering to the ECHR or establish independent human rights standards.

We think that a referendum on the ECHR could give the British public a voice in deciding the UK’s human rights framework. We feel that the ECHR, while established to protect fundamental rights, increasingly influences UK policy and limits our control over key national matters, such as immigration and security. We think an independent framework could enable the UK to craft policies that reflect its unique legal and cultural values, safeguarding both individual rights and national interests in a balanced way.

The Government is proud that the United Kingdom was one of the first States to ratify the ECHR. British politicians and lawyers were among the chief architects of the Convention. We are fully committed to protecting human rights both domestically and internationally as the essential underpinning of the liberties and democratic values we all enjoy.

Our membership of the ECHR facilitates and strengthens international co-operation on security and irregular migration. The ECHR also provides the basis for peace and stability in Northern Ireland, underpins law enforcement and judicial cooperation in the EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and is an important pillar of the devolution settlements.

The ECHR has made a positive difference to the lives and rights of those in the United Kingdom, including its role in the abolition of corporal punishment, ending the ban on LGBT+ people serving in the armed forces, and the abolition of the death penalty.

The United Kingdom has the lowest rate of applications to the European Court on Human Rights by population: in 2023 it was 3 applications per million persons in the UK. For all Council of Europe member States combined, the rate was 47 per million. In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights made only one adverse judgment against the United Kingdom out of the 176 applications assessed.

The Government welcomes all efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of multilateral institutions, including the European Court of Human Rights. A strengthened Court and Convention system ensures a focus on the most important cases, guaranteeing human rights as an essential element of the rule of law and protecting the dignity of all.