James Cleverly defies Tory right’s push to leave ECHR

Foreign secretary says UK should not want to club with Belarus and Russia in rejecting European human rights convention

The foreign secretary has defied the Tory right by arguing that the UK should remain a signatory of the European convention on human rights (ECHR), as Rishi Sunak caves to demands from hard-right MPs to ignore European court rulings on small boats.

James Cleverly said he was not convinced" that leaving the ECHR was necessary to ensure the immigration system was robust, and that the UK had the clout to push for changes if needed, prompting speculation he may be uncomfortable with the move.