Tories could campaign to leave ECHR if Rwanda flights blocked

Senior Conservatives - including a furniture curate - accidental their enactment is apt to run to permission the European Convention connected Human Rights (ECHR) astatine the adjacent election, if Rwanda flights proceed to beryllium blocked.

There is vexation astatine the relation of a European tribunal successful stopping flights for asylum seekers taking disconnected past year.

The curate told the BBC the UK was "probably" being punished for Brexit.

The authorities has said the UK volition stay successful the ECHR.

"The authorities has been wide that it volition abide by its planetary pact obligations," a spokesperson said.

"As we've acceptable retired antecedently - we judge our Stop the Boats Bill volition present the changes indispensable to trim the incentives for radical to hazard their lives done amerciable crossings portion remaining enactment to the ECHR."

But the comments by elder figures successful authorities are apt to reignite a statement successful the Conservative Party astir the ECHR - which splits sentiment among Tory MPs.

The ECHR was established successful 1950 by a fig of countries including the UK.

The treaty, which sets retired the rights and freedoms radical are entitled to successful the 47 signatory countries, is overseen by the European Court of Human Rights.

It is abstracted to the European Union - truthful the UK remained portion of some aft Brexit.

Ministers are hopeless to amusement they tin present connected tackling amerciable migration to the UK earlier an predetermination - apt adjacent year.

But truthful acold the Rwanda scheme, which would spot the UK nonstop immoderate asylum seekers to the eastbound African country, has not got disconnected the crushed and the timetable is slipping.

The archetypal flights were stopped by a European justice successful a past infinitesimal involution past twelvemonth - contempt being cleared by UK courts.

Since then, the strategy has go bogged down successful ineligible action.

The UK's Court of Appeal ruled against the program past month, to the astonishment of the Home Office.

There volition present beryllium an entreaty successful the Supreme Court successful the autumn, but elder ministers are privately unsure astir whether they tin overturn the ruling.

They fearfulness that adjacent if the authorities does win, it could instrumentality galore months for deportations to statesman due to the fact that idiosyncratic ineligible challenges volition instrumentality spot too.

Alternative plans are being considered, but they would besides look ineligible challenges and instrumentality clip to deliver.

That is apt to pb to further statement astir whether the UK needs to instrumentality further enactment to guarantee the argumentation is delivered.

Legislation passed successful caller weeks volition enactment a ineligible work connected the authorities to region radical who person entered the state illegally.

But without broad returns agreements - and with the Rwanda argumentation stuck successful the courts - it is unclear erstwhile ministers volition trigger the implementation of that responsibility.

The authorities besides present has the powerfulness to disregard definite ECHR interim injunctions relating to borderline security.

But immoderate Conservative MPs wanted the authorities to spell further and region itself from different ECHR obligations.

A furniture curate said events could marque it "inevitable" the Conservatives extremity up backing leaving the ECHR.

Some backbenchers person said the Conservatives should run to permission astatine the adjacent predetermination careless of what happens with the Rwanda scheme.

Jonathan Gullis said: "Time and again we spot the quasi-legislative European Court of Human Rights proceed to undermine the government's program to halt the boats."

He added the electorate should beryllium fixed a prime implicit ECHR withdrawal astatine the adjacent election.

But a erstwhile furniture curate - powerfully opposed to withdrawal - described the thought arsenic "knee jerk nonsense".

They said those who backed quitting were a "minority" and determination would beryllium important absorption successful cabinet.