Badenoch Says Commission on Leaving ECHR Not a Political Matter – Guido Fawkes

WATCH: Badenoch Says Commission on Leaving ECHR Not a Political Matter

Kemi Badenoch just finished her immigration speech launching a review on whether the UK should leave the ECHR. She said “we will likely leave the ECHR” though her ‘five tests’ must be passed first. So no firm answer…

The BBC’s Chris Mason asked:

“I’m trying to unpick precisely what you mean by what you’re saying this morning. To be clear are you saying that dependent on the outcome of the review the commission that will be underway you might actually come back in the autumn and say you know what actually we’ve got to stay in the European Convention on Human Rights?”

Kemi replied:

“This is a legal question not a political question. That’s what those five tests are. We have effectively hired Lord Wolfson to be our lawyer and set out what it is that we need to do. We will say more at party conference on what exactly the plans are going to be but what I’m not going to do is just rush out with an announcement and say we’re leaving.”

Shadow ministers will be dreading the morning rounds…

Despite not answering Mason’s question in her speech Badenoch said: “I am not asking Lord Wolfson if we should leave that’s a political and not a legal question I’m asking him to set out how we would leave and to consider what the intended consequences might be, not least in Northern Ireland. If we decide to go down this route we must do so knowingly.” As Guido pointed out this morning – if it is the case that the decision to leave is a political one, why will Kemi not make it?