UK Joins EU Ministers in Pledge to Ease Deportation of Foreign Nationals

The UK has joined EU ministers in a pledge to make it easier to deport foreign nationals as European countries address illegal migration. Foreign ministers will issue a joint political declaration on Friday that agrees on a stricter implementation of human rights law and reasserts states' sovereign rights to deport people from their countries.

The declaration was driven by the UK, Denmark and Italy and will be issued by foreign ministers in the Council of Europe, a group of 46 member states. Ministers have agreed to an updated interpretation of Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Article 3 protects against sending someone to a country where they would face torture, inhuman or degrading treatment. The UK and other member states believe the threshold for what constitutes inhuman or degrading treatment is too high and should be lowered so that people cannot prevent their deportation to countries with established records of respecting democracy and the rule of law.

Article 8 guarantees the right to respect for private and family life. The declaration is expected to state that the family rights of serious foreign criminals need to be properly balanced against the public interest in deporting them. Officials hope the statement will help independent courts ensure that serious criminals are not able to avoid deportation.

Human rights organisations warned that the political statement would lead to a gradual weakening of human rights protections. One group described the move as a hugely significant moment and expressed concern that changing how the ECHR is interpreted by UK courts could open the door to reduced protections.