UK DEFENCE Secretary Michael Fallon yesterday called for withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph he claimed British troops are being weakened in their fight against terrorists because they fear human rights lawyers will take them to court. Fallon said that ‘ambulance-chasing law firms’ that have brought thousands of cases against the Ministry of Defence over the conduct of British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Arguing that there was ‘a strong case’ for suspending the European human rights law when sending forces into action overseas, he told the paper: ‘We don’t need these ambulance-chasing British law firms. It is not only extremely expensive but it inhibits the operational effectiveness of our troops because they start to worry about whether they will end up in a court or not.’
Fallon and Michael Gove, the Justice Secretary, are working on plans for a British Bill of Rights to replace the Human Rights Act, which enshrines the European convention into law. Fallon said: ‘We will ensure our Armed Forces overseas are not subject to persistent legal claims that undermine their ability to do their job. Ministers have commissioned detailed work and will make any further announcements in due course.’
ATUA National Secretary Dave Wiltshire warned that Tory plans to opt out of the ECHR are more likely aimed at the UK. Wiltshire said: ‘In July it was revealed that Home Secretary Theresa May is planning the deployment of 5,000 armed troops on the streets of Britain, allegedly in the wake of a major terrorist attack. They could well open fire on the streets of the UK, killing UK nationals. This is what they need some defence from – this is where the move to quit the Human Rights Act comes from.’
It was also revealed yesterday that Metropolitan Police chiefs have been calling for more firearms officers to be deployed across the UK, telling Home Secretary May that ‘dedicated armed assets’ are thin on the ground outside London.
