Kemi Badenoch has used her first Conservative party conference speech as leader to outline a radical immigration crackdown, including a commitment to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and a willingness to quit other international treaties to boost deportations. The move puts her at odds with former prime minister Rishi Sunak, who had resisted such a step.
In her address in Manchester, Badenoch said leaving the ECHR was “a necessary step, but not enough on its own”. She added: “If there are other treaties and laws we need to revise or revisit, then we will do so.” This opens the door to potentially exiting the UN’s 1951 refugee convention.
The Tory leader also confirmed plans for a “removals force” modelled on Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, with a target of deporting 150,000 people a year. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the force would have double the current budget and would strip away legal obstacles to removals.
Philp also pledged to deport foreign nationals who express “racial hatred, including antisemitism” or support “extremism or terrorism”, though it was unclear if this would require a criminal conviction. The party has already promised to deport foreign nationals convicted of all but minor offences.
Badenoch acknowledged “particular challenges in Northern Ireland”, where the ECHR is embedded in the Good Friday Agreement, and said shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart would examine the issue. She also took a swipe at Liz Truss’s mini-budget, vowing not to repeat “financial irresponsibility”.
The conference speech focused heavily on migration, with Badenoch arguing the UK had “tolerated radical Islamist ideology” and could not “import and tolerate values hostile to our own”. The proposals mark a sharp shift to the right on immigration policy, setting the stage for a potential rift with more moderate Tories.
