Labour Minister Doubles Down on Hermer’s Comparison of ECHR Critics to Nazis – Guido Fawkes

Labour Minister Doubles Down on Hermer’s Comparison of ECHR Critics to Nazis

Education minister Catherine McKinnell has doubled down on attorney general and Starmer’s Chagos surrender chum Richard Hermer’s claim yesterday that those who call to quit the ECHR are comparable to Nazis. Hermer said at the defence think tank RUSI yesterday:

“The claim that international law is fine as far as it goes, but can be put aside when the conditions change, is a claim that was made in the early 1930s by ‘realist’ jurists in Germany most notably Carl Schmitt, whose central thesis was in essence the claim that state power is all that counts, not law. Because of the experience of what followed 1933, far-sighted individuals rebuilt and transformed the institutions of international law, as well as internal constitutional law.”

Questioned on Times Radio over the comments, McKinnell backed Hermer on his “thoughtful” speech, claiming that comparing ECHR critics to Nazis is a “characterisation“:

“He gave a quite thoughtful speech about international law, about the UK’s place and upholding it, but also how we bring it forward into the current day and really support international law. Talk about withdrawing from international law only helps people like those who prefer a lawless world.”

All this comes just weeks after Starmer launched his much-vaunted ‘immigration white paper’, promising to explore changing the law on how Article 8 of the ECHR – the right to a family life – is applied in immigration cases. Though if Hermer’s comments – supported by Labour ministers – are anything to go by, co-conspirators can safely assume that was just more waffle. Starmer’s lefty lawyer friend has truly let the mask slip…