Member

We need to be honest and open about the fact that the situation which we face today is not what the architects of human rights law and immigration law intended. No one foresaw, as has been said several times in this Chamber today, that mass migration and instant communication would exist as they do today, let alone that international criminal gangs would be exploiting the position. Over time, protections and defences have been stretched. Some on this side of the House would say they have been distorted. Labour’s Human Rights Act has become a tool which forces our courts not simply to interpret United Kingdom law through the changing lens of the so-called living instrument of Strasbourg but to change the meaning of some laws entirely. It is a matter of very real concern for us on these Benches. This sort of lawfare puts our national security and sovereignty at risk.