Labour MP Graham Stringer has become the first member of his party to call for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, citing “absurd” rulings that allow foreign criminals to avoid deportation.
The Blackley and Middleton South MP broke ranks with official Labour policy in a BBC interview, arguing that Article 8 protections – which safeguard the right to family life – have been systematically abused by illegal migrants and their lawyers to frustrate removal attempts.
“What you’ve got to remember is 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,” Stringer told the BBC. They’re paying international criminals to get here and the courts are saying they have a right to stay under the refugee convention, I assume, and possibly other conventions. That doesn’t seem reasonable to me.”
His intervention comes as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered a review into how Article 8 is being applied in immigration courts, amid mounting concern that the provision is being misused to block deportations. The review will examine how other European nations, including Denmark, take a stricter approach to the legislation.
Stringer, who has represented Manchester constituencies continuously since 1997, insisted that leaving the ECHR should be “certainly” on the table, adding: “Either modifying or leaving it.” His stance marks a dramatic departure from Labour’s traditional support for the European human rights framework and puts him at odds with Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
The veteran MP’s comments follow a series of controversial rulings where foreign criminals have successfully avoided deportation using Article 8 arguments. In one case that sparked particular outrage, an Albanian criminal was allowed to remain in Britain because his son reportedly disliked foreign chicken nuggets. Other cases have seen offenders argue they would be “depressed” if returned to their home countries.
Under current legislation, foreign nationals sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment are subject to automatic deportation unless they can demonstrate that removal would breach their human rights. Article 8 has become the most common ground for challenging deportation orders, with courts required to balance the public interest against an individual’s right to family and private life.
The Government’s review, announced by Cooper in May, will form part of a wider immigration white paper aimed at restoring “control over the immigration system.” Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, the Home Secretary confirmed: “We are particularly looking at how these kinds of rules are applied in other countries. Other countries have looked at the application and manage to tighten its use.”
Stringer’s call for withdrawal puts him in alignment with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has pledged to pull Britain out of the ECHR if his party comes to power. Several Conservative MPs, including former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and shadow justice secretary Chris Philp, have also advocated leaving the convention.
The Labour MP’s intervention is particularly significant given his long-standing reputation as an independent voice within the party. In 2008, he became the first Labour MP to publicly call for Gordon Brown’s resignation as Prime Minister, and he has frequently rebelled against the party line on issues ranging from climate change to Brexit.
Legal experts warn that withdrawing from the ECHR would require parliamentary approval and likely necessitate repealing the Human Rights Act 1998, which incorporates convention rights into UK law. The only state ever to have withdrawn from the Council of Europe, which oversees the ECHR, was Greece under military rule in 1970.
Home Office figures show that approximately 630 foreign criminals successfully avoided deportation using human rights arguments in 2023, with Article 8 cited in the vast majority of cases. The provision requires courts to consider factors including the length of residence in the UK, family ties, and the best interests of any children involved.
Cooper’s review will examine whether to introduce new legislation clarifying how Article 8 should be interpreted, potentially following the Danish model which places stricter limits on when family life arguments can override deportation orders. The Government has pledged to “make clear it is the government and Parliament that decides who should have the right to remain in the UK.”
Stringer’s call comes as Labour faces mounting pressure over immigration, with record numbers crossing the Channel – 27,997 so far in 2025 – and polls showing Reform UK gaining ground in traditional Labour heartlands. Several other Red Wall MPs, including Jonathan Brash and Connor Naismith, have urged tougher action on immigration but stopped short of calling for ECHR withdrawal.
The Society of Labour Lawyers has not publicly commented on Stringer’s remarks, but sources suggest his position has minimal support within the parliamentary party. Labour has consistently defended Britain’s membership of the ECHR as fundamental to protecting human rights domestically and maintaining the country’s international standing.
As the Government prepares its immigration white paper, Stringer’s intervention highlights growing tensions within Labour over how to balance human rights commitments with public demands for tougher border controls. Whether his call for withdrawal gains traction or remains an isolated voice will likely depend on the success of Cooper’s efforts to reform how Article 8 is applied without abandoning the convention entirely.
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Image Credit (Shortened, Pending Confirmation):
Graham Stringer MP (cropped) – by [Photographer Unknown], licensed under [License Unknown], via Wikimedia Commons.
