Farage’s bid to bring advance legislation to leave ECHR blocked by MPs
speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons. Photo House of Commons/PA Wire
Nigel Farage’s bid to bring forward legislation for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights has been blocked by MPs.
Members could be heard heckling as the motion was debated in the House of Commons, with one branding the Reform UK leader “Putin’s patsy”.
During his speech, Mr Farage told a group of MPs sat behind him, “children be quiet,” following continuous interventions.
The Reform leader forced a vote on withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) through a 10-minute rule motion on Wednesday.
The vote was not on the legislation itself, but on the principle of bringing forward a Bill.
MPs voted against the motion 96 to 154, majority 58.
Brexit
Mr Farage told the Commons that leaving the ECHR was the “unfinished business” of Brexit.
He said: “I believe that Brexit cannot be complete all the while we’re subject to a foreign court and frankly, a piece of legislation brought in by the Blair government upon which judges can choose their own political interpretation.
“We are not sovereign all the while we are part of the ECHR, the European Council and its associated court. It’s as simple as that.”
He added: “This Bill intends to restore the power of this Parliament, the power of all of you as MPs to actually be in control of the things that really matter most to all of your voters, whether they supported you or not.
“This Bill intends to return British common law and to bring back some ideas, rather than state-given rights, of birthrights of liberty and freedom.
“These are things that, over centuries, served our country far better than any other nation in the European continent.”
‘Un-British’
Opposing the Bill, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “If you want to know (Mr Farage)’s intentions for British people’s basic rights and freedoms, just look at Putin’s Russia or Trump’s America.
“That isn’t patriotic, it is deeply un-British, and he should be ashamed.
“Unlike (Mr Farage), I am proud of our country. I love our country. I am proud that Britain helped create the European Convention on Human Rights, championed by Winston Churchill himself.
“The convention protects the very people who need it most, our elderly and most vulnerable, so they may live and grow old with dignity, our children so that those facing horrific abuse have better protection.
“It also upholds our freedom of speech, so that the press and public can criticise those in power without fear, and it protects our peaceful right of protest.
“70 years ago, Britain became the first country to ratify the convention as a leading voice on the global stage for human rights and the rule of law. That is our history, that is who we are, that is Britain at our best.
“And yet (Mr Farage) wants us to forget our history, dump British values, undermine the rule of law and row back on people’s hard-won rights. I say no.”
Welsh people’s rights
Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP added: “We just defeated Nigel Farage’s Bill in Parliament, which attempted to tear up Welsh people’s rights and withdraw from the ECHR.
“Farage wants to do away with the Britain Churchill built and turn it into a version of Trump’s America. Today, the Liberal Democrats stopped him.
“The ECHR protects many everyday rights we take for granted.
“I am beyond disappointed that most Welsh Labour MPs didn’t bother to vote on what is such an important issue. Make no mistake where they fail to stand up to Reform and Farage, the Liberal Democrats will fight for the country of tolerance, rule of law and fairness that we believe in
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Nice heckling for once in the commons. Now if this colour blind and deaf mainstream media can grow a pair and share that and maybe bring in Nathan Gill with that, it would make a big difference.
I have found a common theme with a few Reform supporters that I know and have had conversations with. Whether it has been about brexit or leaving the ECHR , after explaining the economic downfalls of leaving the EU or giving up basic rights and how that could effect them directly and the most vulnerable in society if we leave the ECHR the reply is almost the same ” Ah but I’m not voting for those bits , I just want to get the immigrants out ” . I honestly can’t believe the stupidity of these people or is it… Read more »
The tide is slowly turning on Farage. Reform maybe ahead in the polls but people haven’t really scrutinised this party yet. When they do the reality of a country possibly ruled by Reform and Farage will start to sink in – many will quickly change their minds about voting for them.
Read this and the Danny ‘Freddy’ Kruger story from earlier today (Pochin comments in the background) then type into a search Nazi record on human rights to make the connection.
Leaving the ECHR would put us in the same league as Belarus and Putin’s Russia, hardly the democratic company we should be keeping. It’s laughable when Reform supporters invoke Churchill as a national hero when it was Churchill himself who was instrumental in establishing the ECHR in the first place. Furthermore Churchill would never have tolerated pro-Nazi sympathisers in his ranks, yet Farage turns a blind eye to the pro-Kremlin propaganda some in his party are pushing. If you really want to reduce illegal immigration, the answer isn’t tearing up human rights law (which protects our human rights), its rejoining… Read more »
Presumably dual nationality citizens are next for the chop.
Yet again farage blatantly lies to both the Westminster parliament & the people of the country. The ECHR is NOT a foreign court as he stated. It is situated in Europe yes but the UK & other continental nations take a full and active part in the every day affairs of the courts procedures, it is a separate entity to & pre dates the procedures of the EU. There is a you tube clip out there where arch thicko Lee Anderson is debating this point where the person he’s in conversation with points out the fact I stated above, to… Read more »
Nigel Farage’s proposed motion, if successful, would have resulted in the UK withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights. It resulted in Division Number 331 and was defeated by 155 votes to 95. Only 7 of the 32 MPs representing Wales’ constituencies (22%) bothered to vote – all 4 Plaid Cymru MPs, the sole Lib-Dem MP but only 2 of the 27 Labour MPs. For 25 of the 27 Labour MPs to fail to vote on such an important issue is surely disgraceful and a dereliction of duty – a fact that should be widely publicized.
Farages racist party wants to remove my rights, along with the tory party.
putins useful idiot doing his job then.
Farage grandstanding to mask his poor attendance in the House.
YesterdayTice pitched for a referendum on the Chagos Islands.
He was there alone.
Not 1 single Reform MP despite Farage having previously presented himself as the Chaossian champion.
Kruger absent himself was giving it large elsewhere at a press conference about “Acountablity in Gov’t”
You couldn’t make it up.
What a bunch of weasels .
This is an act of a desperate man in a hurry. There are bloodlusting voices of hate growing all around him which are making him look like a cuddly teddy bear. His crown is being picked off his twisted head in the competition to find ‘Britains’ most evil’. Why stick with him when they could have Kruger, Pochin, Jenrick (one defection away). This is what Spaceboy meant when he said he doesn’t have what it takes.
musk recently calling for bloody violence on UK streets. UK gov still uses his platform. Senedd using it as well?
I wonder which of these rights Reform are so upset about. As with Brexit there is no mention what ECHREXIT will be replaced by.
Presumably they want to abolish free speech when they disagree with it.