Reform MP Rupert Lowe has called for the UK to withdraw from the ECHR over concerns of national security.

Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate yesterday, the former Southampton FC chairman said withdrawal was necessary to protect the British public, arguing the treaty undermines security by preventing the deportation of foreign criminals. 

The statement comes as the government faces criticism following the mistaken release of a foreign national from HMP Wandsworth earlier this week. 

Earlier today, Mr. Lowe, currently MP for Great Yarmouth, reinforced his stance on X, saying: "I don't care about the human rights of foreign murderers, rapists and paedophiles. I care about the British people." 

Withdrawal from the ECHR is a key policy of the Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage. 

Opposition politicians have expressed strong criticism. Speaking to Parliament, Paul Kohler, Lib Dem MP for Wimbledon, said: "It feels like Brexit déjà vu — the same hollow promises of taking back control, the same disregard for facts, the same blindness to consequence." 

The United Kingdom first joined the ECHR on 4 November 1950 as a founding member of the Council of Europe. 

In a tribute to the 75th anniversary of the signing of the treaty, Scottish First Minister John Swinney also criticised calls to leave the convention, stating on X: "...many Westminster politicians want to tear up the laws that protect our basic human rights. Our rights are not Westminster’s to take away. We will stand firmly against that."

Despite leaving the European Union on 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom remains subject to the ECHR, which enforces legal protections for human rights and the dignity of European residents. 

However, critics of the treaty argue that the ECHR infringes on national sovereignty and limits the government’s ability to act decisively in matters of security and immigration.