"As David Lammy prepares to attend a Council of Europe meeting in Strasbourg that will discuss legal changes to stop bogus asylum claims, the novelist Julian Barnes, the actor Adrian Lester and the comedian Aisling Bea have also signed a letter telling the prime minister: Any attempt at undermining universal protections is an affront to us all and a threat to the security of each and every one of us."
"Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, is expected to argue on Wednesday that the European convention on human rights (ECHR) could be reinterpreted to limit the scope of rights under article 3, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. Under sweeping changes announced last month by the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, the government said it wants to introduce measures to stop asylum seekers using their rights in the ECHR to a family life to avoid deportation."
"We are writing to you as people who care deeply about this country, its global influence and the values that define us as a country. The European convention on human rights (ECHR) and the UN convention against torture are at the heart of [Britain's] legacy. They have saved lives, delivered justice and shown the world that Britain leads not by fear, but by principle."
Twenty-one well-known public figures have urged the prime minister to abandon plans to change human rights law and to defend torture victims ahead of a Council of Europe summit. David Lammy will attend a Strasbourg meeting addressing legal changes aimed at stopping bogus asylum claims, and several high-profile signatories have written warning that undermining universal protections would threaten security. Ministers propose reinterpreting the ECHR, including limits to article 3 protections, while the government plans measures to prevent asylum seekers invoking family-life rights to avoid deportation. Critics warn such changes could put vulnerable people at risk and damage Britain’s global standing.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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