“Here’s the detail of how we leave the ECHR”, Suella tells us – special report

We know ‘the why’ – This is the first time a senior politician gives us the detail of ‘the how’

Part I of an important report on the work of Suella Braverman on how we leave the ECHR and make the changes needed to restore sovereignty

Fewer and fewer politicians and informed commentators now contest the necessity of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. Most recently on this subject, we published the thoughts of the Rt Hon the Lord Peter Lilley, the former Cabinet Minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major.  Now for the first time a senior politician and qualified barrister has put forward a detailed plan for doing just that.

The list of reasons to leave the outdated body that is the ECHR has been growing and today – exclusive to the Stand for Our Sovereignty campaign and GB News – former Home Secretary and Attorney General The Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP has worked with us to provide clarity on the first detailed study into the mechanics of how this can be done in a measured and controlled manner.

Mrs Braverman’s paper has its launch at 10am this morning at the Prosperity Institute (formerly Legatum) in London, where she will outline the process for an orderly withdrawal from the ECHR together with a set of coordinated measures which are necessary.  These include:

1. Invoke Article 58 of the ECHR, which begins the six-month countdown to leaving.
2. Prepare our domestic legal framework for the end of the ECHR, through a Bill to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 and a temporary Case Law Review Commission under a sunset clause to examine what Strasbourg-influenced case law should be retained.
3. Amend the Devolution Settlements, to remove reference to the ECHR.
4. Amend references (principally in Part 3 only) to the ECHR in the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement, ideally negotiating technical amendments to replace these.
5. Amend the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), the Northern Ireland Protocol, and the Windsor Framework.
6. Clarify that a combination of the common law and statute provides ample protection of civil liberties in the United Kingdom.

As Mrs Braverman explains in her paper, a detailed plan is necessary and that is what she sets out to provide, with co-author Guy Dampier from the Prosperity Institute.

“Many of us have known for years that we need to leave the ECHR: to fix our borders, protect our national security, and restore sovereignty to the UK. But the debate has long been hampered by misunderstanding. That is why we have written this comprehensive plan on how to deliver this vital policy.”

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‘Suella – The Movie’

In just 12 minutes Suella Braverman takes us through the ECHR from its earliest beginnings to the present day. This is a powerful, thought-provoking film which we thoroughly recommend watching. In the same way as her paper, it includes all the aspects of change required to return our country to a place where sensible and popular policies may once again be enacted. A place where democratic accountability once again has meaning and where the word ‘sovereignty’ is no longer a distant memory but a term which can be applied to the people, exercised through their elected representatives.

With grateful thanks to the Prosperity Group

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Giving notice to the ECHR is the easy part

Giving notice to the ECHR is the easy part but the former Home Secretary’s plan is comprehensive and also deals with all the ancillary measures which will need to be taken, not the least of which being the return of Northern Ireland to its rightful place in the United Kingdom.

“This deals with the issues relating to the Belfast Agreement. What is crucial is that Northern Ireland must not be left behind and, just as the Belfast Agreement has been amended over the decades, it can be changed again. With credible political commitment, this plan can be delivered so that our laws are made by the UK Parliament, enforced by UK courts, all for the people of the UK.”

As we have pointed out previously, the Belfast Agreement contains no obligation for the UK to be a member of the ECHR.  Accordingly the Braverman plan involves a concerted period of consultation with the politicians and the communities of Northern Ireland as well as with the government of the Republic. In regard to the EU, Mrs Braverman foresees a renegotiation to remove references to the ECHR in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The EU, the ECHR, the TCA, and the Belfast Agreement

Given the EU is not and never has been in a position to sign up to the ECHR itself, this places them in a somewhat difficult position to argue. Similarly with the Belfast Agreement, this been amended five times and the EU was itself responsible for the sixth breach by insisting on the N.I. Protocol and subsequent Windsor Framework. The current status of Northern Ireland, insisted upon by the EU, was imposed without the consent of all the communities, in direct contravention of the principles of that agreement.

In addition, despite the many attempts over the past 25+ years to rewrite history by Monsieur Barnier and the Commission and by Members of the EU Parliament, the EU never had any involvement in that agreement whatsoever. Suella Braverman’s solution is to negotiate robustly and inclusively with the Unionists, Nationalists, and the Republic and in the end to deal with the matter via domestic legislation to enact changes to the Northern Ireland Act.

One of the unique and unexpected aspects to the launch of the former Home Secretary’s plan on how to leave the ECHR is the way in which it has commanded cross party support.

A senior Unionist voice has even written the Forward to the paper.

We understand that Suella Braverman has even received messages of support from some Labour Members and the paper has been endorsed by the Stand for Our Sovereignty campaign.

The final changes envisaged in this comprehensive plan include certain required changes to devolved administration matters to reflect the alterations outlined above together with legislation to ensure that the Strasbourg court’s judgements no longer have any authority in UK courts, and finally some changes to prevent the growth in judicial activism in the UK’s legal system.

It is clear that a great deal of work has gone into this detailed plan on leaving the ECHR and restoring sovereignty to our legal system, our Pastliament, and to the people of the United Kingdom. This included visits made by Mrs Braverman to both Strasbourg and Belfast. There will now be an uproar from a variety of quarters and all manner of warnings being issued, but the criticisms will have to be based on an equal amount of thought and preparation as has clearly gone into this document.

For a significant proportion of the general public it is likely that this will be seen as a document that has been long overdue. 

Coming soon… Part II : ‘The meat on the bones’

In Part II we will be going into more detail about some of the key issues highlighted in Suella Braverman and Guy Dampier’s Prosperity Institute paper. We hope that this intial instalment has whetted your appetite!

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And finally

Please act before it’s too late. The more we are, the louder our voice, and the more impossible to ignore