Stephen Pollard

will remain subservient to the rulings of foreign judges. We will only take back some control.

You might think that a senior member of a Cabinet that is working towards Brexit would be able to work out for himself that the very worst possible time to throw up his hands in surrender to the ECHR is now – when we are negotiating our freedom from the rulings of the ECJ.

The precedent it sets, that we will cave on the issue of foreign judges dictating to Britain, is appalling. But Mr Lidington – who was a passionate Remainer, previously Europe Minister – has not managed to connect any of this. Is it any wonder the Government is in such a mess when its ministers are so devoid of basic political sense?

The ECHR has issued four rulings attacking the UK for supposedly violating prisoners’ human rights, starting with a case bought by the killer John Hirst – convicted of manslaughter in 1980 after hacking his landlady to death with an axe. Other than bodies like the Prison Reform Trust and similar groups that exist to lobby on behalf of prisoners, there is almost no support in Britain for letting prisoners vote. But that doesn’t matter. All that matters is the view of the ECHR and its judges.

The fact that, in Britain, we believe when you take an axe to someone you forfeit any number of rights, including voting, is irrelevant. All that matters is the view of a foreign court.

But this is, of course, about far more than just prisoners’ votes. There is now almost no area untouched by human rights law. And for its advocates, nor should there be.

Human rights law – which is, of course, entirely subjective and which barely existed until a few decades ago – now supersedes democracy itself and the ability of voters and politicians to determine how we should be governed.

So when we want to rid ourselves of foreign criminals who have no business in our country we are only able to do so if we can persuade the courts that extraditing them will not upset their human rights.

If we want to remove a terrorist or terrorist sympathiser because they endanger our national security, if they can persuade a court that their human rights are endangered, we must bow to their will.

THIS problem is getting worse, not better. The human rights brigade seeks constantly to widen its powers.

Here is my prediction of the next great human rights challenge: the real fight over Brexit won’t come from Parliamentary votes. It won’t come from coalitions between Labour and Tory Remainers. It won’t come from a call for second referendum.

The real fight will come via human rights with the human rights lobby slotting into its usual role of attempting to usurp the democratic will of the people, using the courts to try to overturn Brexit.

Mark my words: while those of us who voted to take back control are looking forward to March 2019 and the end of our EU membership, for those who cannot abide the idea that ordinary people might have their way, it will be to human rights law that they turn.

‘We voted to take back control of our laws’

LEO McKINSTRY IS AWAY