Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure from within his own party as former Home Secretary Jack Straw becomes the third New Labour grandee to urge radical reform of Britain’s relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to tackle soaring illegal migration.
The architect of the 1998 Human Rights Act told The Financial Times that British courts are “misusing” the convention in ways “never, ever intended” when it was drafted after the Second World War. His intervention follows similar calls from Lord Blunkett and veteran MP Graham Stringer, exposing deep divisions within Labour over the escalating Channel crisis.
More than 52,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats since Sir Keir entered Downing Street last July, with 2025 on track to break all previous records. The crisis has propelled immigration to the top of voters’ concerns, overtaking the economy in recent polling.
‘More Serious Than We Faced’
Straw, who served as Home Secretary under Tony Blair from 1997 to 2001, warned the current situation is far graver than during New Labour’s tenure. “The situation is more serious than the one I faced in the late 90s and early 00s,” he told the FT. We had a high level of popular support, there was no Reform Party and the Tories were flat on their back.
The former Blackburn MP proposed amending the Human Rights Act to state that British courts do not have to “take account” of ECHR rulings, arguing this would be more practical than full withdrawal. He claimed courts are interpreting the requirement to “take account” of European judgements as an obligation to “follow” them – something he insists was never Parliament’s intention.
“There is no doubt at all that the convention — and crucially its interpretation — is now being used in ways which were never, ever intended when the instrument was drafted in the late 40s and early 50s,” Straw said.
Labour Veterans Unite Against Status Quo
Straw’s intervention makes him the third heavyweight from the Blair era to challenge Labour’s current approach. Lord Blunkett has called for temporarily suspending parts of the ECHR for six months to clear the asylum backlog, pointing to Germany’s example of setting aside aspects during exceptional circumstances.
We may not have to pull out of the ECHR or the 1951 Refugee Convention entirely, but temporarily suspending certain elements could allow the government to get a grip on the system,” Lord Blunkett told BBC Radio 4.
Meanwhile, Graham Stringer became the first sitting Labour MP to call for complete withdrawal. The Blackley and Middleton South MP told the BBC: “Most of the people crossing the Channel are young men, they have destroyed their papers before they get here, they’re coming from a completely civilised country in France. They’re paying international criminals to get here.”
Record Numbers Fuel Crisis
Government data reveals the scale of the challenge facing Starmer’s administration. More than 20,000 small boat arrivals have been recorded in 2025’s first half – the highest ever for this period and 48 per cent more than the same period in 2024.
The surge has left British taxpayers funding accommodation for over 32,000 asylum seekers in nearly 200 hotels, at a cost exceeding £8 million daily according to Home Office figures. The National Audit Office projects the asylum system could cost over £15 billion over the next decade.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp claimed 2025 had been “the worst year in history for illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel,” adding that Labour’s decision to scrap the Rwanda deterrent scheme meant “the numbers are worse than ever.”
Government Defends ECHR Commitment
Downing Street has firmly rejected suggestions of leaving the ECHR, with a Number 10 spokesman stating: “The ECHR underpins key international agreements on trade, security, migration and the Good Friday Agreement.”
The spokesman added that anyone proposing to renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement “is not serious,” noting that the government is focused on “serious practical steps” rather than “gimmicks.”
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook reinforced this position, warning that withdrawal would “put us in a club with Russia and Belarus” and undermine the Northern Ireland peace process.
Reform UK Applies Pressure
The interventions come as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveiled plans for mass deportations and leaving the ECHR entirely. Farage’s party, which has overtaken the Conservatives in some opinion polls, proposes deporting up to 600,000 failed asylum seekers if elected.
Saying you’re going to leave the ECHR is not a plan,” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch responded, though she has commissioned her own review into potentially leaving the convention.
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Daisy Cooper accused Farage of wanting to follow “his idol Vladimir Putin in ripping up the human rights convention,” adding that “Winston Churchill would be turning in his grave.
Legal Complexities Mount
The debate exposes complex legal challenges around the ECHR. The convention is deeply embedded in the Good Friday Agreement, with experts warning that withdrawal could breach the peace accord and require its renegotiation with Ireland.
Former world No9 tennis player Andrea Petkovic, speaking on the BBC about a different matter, inadvertently captured the mood: “The doctor did say he would need eight weeks out, so he did significantly push the envelope here.
Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds warned that leaving the ECHR would “make it significantly harder” to tackle illegal migration through international cooperation, directly contradicting the Reform UK position.
Historical Context Haunts Labour
The current crisis echoes challenges from Labour’s past. Recently released papers show Blair’s government considered establishing detention camps on the Isle of Mull and even temporarily suspending ECHR provisions during their “war on terror.”
Lord Goldsmith, then attorney general, reportedly warned that ECHR membership was a condition of EU membership, leading Blair to abandon the idea. Lord Irvine, the Lord Chancellor, had famously told Blair and Blunkett: “I don’t know why you guys don’t just adopt the Zimbabwean constitution and have done with it.”
Now, with Brexit complete and Reform UK breathing down Labour’s neck, the political landscape has fundamentally shifted. As one Labour aide observed: “The whole legal world is being turned upside down.”
Stakes Rise for Starmer
For Sir Keir, a former human rights lawyer who once took cases to Strasbourg, the pressure from his own party veterans presents an acute dilemma. His commitment to international law faces its sternest test yet as immigration dominates the political agenda.
The Prime Minister must now balance his legal principles against political reality, with Reform UK directly challenging: “Whose side are you on?”
As boats continue crossing the Channel at record rates and public patience wears thin, the architect of the Human Rights Act joining calls for its fundamental reform sends an unmistakable message – even New Labour’s grandees believe the status quo is unsustainable.
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