Nigel Farage has no right to 'tear up' Good Friday Agreement, says SDLP leader

"Mr Farage has long supported leaving the ECHR, and he said on Tuesday the Good Friday Agreement could be "renegotiated" to remove references to the convention. The 1998 Agreement largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland and led to the establishment of the Stormont powersharing Assembly. It was backed by referendums on both sides of the Irish border."

"(former PM) Blair, of course, wrote the ECHR into everything. He wrote it into everything to try and embed it deeply in British law. Can we renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement to get the ECHR out of it? Yes. Is that something that can happen very, very quickly? No, it will take longer. Unfortunately and for a variety of reasons, previous governments have placed Northern Ireland, I'm afraid, in a different position to the rest of the United Kingdom, something that we vigorously opposed. It will take a little bit longer with Northern Ireland."

Nigel Farage proposes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and replacing the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights limited to British citizens and legal residents. DUP MP Sammy Wilson supports plans to renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement to remove ECHR references. The 1998 Agreement ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland and created the Stormont powersharing Assembly, approved by referendums on both sides. Farage acknowledged renegotiation would not be quick and said Northern Ireland’s distinct position would slow changes. Ms Hanna argued the ECHR underpins the Agreement, called Farage a populist offering simplistic solutions, and warned the DUP may be harmed.

Read at Irish Independent