Question
There are 21,000 serious foreign criminals still in the UK. Today, a foreign criminal jailed for four years or more cannot use family or long residence exceptions to avoid deportation. Last week, the Government voted down our amendments in Committee to keep that rule and extend it to terrorists, making the Immigration and Asylum Bill softer on the worst offenders than current law. Will the Home Secretary admit that only leaving the ECHR will guarantee us that foreign criminals are deported?
Answer
It is sad to see the Conservative party so spooked by the far right that they are trashing some of the finest work of their greatest Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. When he said, “Never again,” and led the way in building a European convention on human rights, he knew the protection it gave everyone from tyrants, despots, torture and death. This Government will defend Churchill’s legacy—even if the Conservatives will not—by reforming both the ECHR, internationally, through co-operation with our European neighbours, and its domestic application through the forthcoming Bill, to ensure that its protections and principles are fit for the modern world.40% point-scoring 20% vibes
Verdict: RED (5/100)
The reply does not answer the question asked. The question was whether leaving the European Convention on Human Rights is the only way to guarantee the deportation of foreign criminals, but the response never mentions deportation, foreign criminals, or whether withdrawal is necessary. Instead, it defends the Convention and commits to reforming it, so a member of the public would learn nothing about the specific point they raised.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the Home Secretary agree that leaving the European Convention on Human Rights is the only way to guarantee that foreign criminals are deported? | Not Addressed | Generic | The item asks whether leaving the ECHR is the only way to guarantee deportation of foreign criminals, but the reply never mentions deportation, foreign criminals, or whether leaving is necessary. It instead defends the Convention's legacy and commits to reforming it, which is a different point from the one asked. |