Lord David Cameron warned peers that in the future, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) may need to be “flexible” in its approach to UK policy.
The Foreign Secretary has stated that an immigration strategy that “works for our country” is “consistent with remaining in the European Court of Human Rights.”
When asked about the UK’s membership, he said, “I can go back as far as 2005 and point to speeches that said we always have to put our national interest first, whether that is the need to deport dangerous terrorists or the need to have an immigration policy that works for our country.”
“I believe that is consistent with remaining in the ECHR.
“But, as I found as prime minister, there are occasions when the ECHR makes judgments, as they did on the issue of prisoner votes, when they said it was absolutely essential that we legislated instantly to give prisoners the vote, and I said I didn’t think that was the case, I think that should be settled by the Houses of Parliament – and the ECHR backed down.
“So that sort of flexibility may well be necessary in the future.”
Lord Cameron described the revised deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, which has been heavily criticised by unionist politicians, as “a superb negotiation.”
“I had nothing to do with negotiating the Windsor Framework, so I can say this with true meaning – I think it was a superb negotiation,” the Cabinet minister said in response to a question from Baroness Hoey.
“The EU said it would never reopen the Withdrawal Agreement and it did. They never, and I can say this with real feeling, give an emergency brake and yet they did when it came to Stormont, and they never really make exceptions for single market access for non-single market countries and yet they have.