𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Writing in the Daily Express, Mr Jenrick declared: “There’s more chance of David Lammy winning Celebrity Mastermind than there is of reforming the ECHR enough to tackle our current crisis.

“That’s because reform of the ECHR requires the unanimous consent of all 46 Council of Europe members. But many of the most influential member countries – like France and Germany – aren’t interested.

“For decades, reforming the ECHR has proved extremely difficult. The last major effort at reform took nine years to agree and implement. It secured just a handful of procedural changes.

“Just last week, the Express exposed the fact that 85 foreign terrorists and extremists are roaming our streets, unable to be deported because of spurious human rights claims. We don’t stand a chance at removing these dangerous people until we leave the ECHR.”

Mr Lammy, during an appearance on Celebrity Mastermind in 2008, struggled and got a series of answers wrong. He even confused Marie Curie with Marie Antoinette.

Mr Lammy travelled to Strasbourg on Wednesday to meet fellow justice ministers, hoping to secure a path to reforming the right to a family life – Article 8 – and limiting how migrants can claim they will be mistreated overseas, under Article 3.

Speaking after the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “The UK is committed to the Convention. But to secure its future, we must ensure it evolves – striking the balance between individual rights and public interest to deliver peace, stability and security for the 21st century.”

But Mr Jenrick told this newspaper: “The truth is, we don’t need the ECHR to give us our rights.

“We were doing just fine before we signed the Convention, and we’ll be better off outside, when democratically accountable Parliamentarians are back in charge.

“It’s how sensible countries like Australia and the United States have solved their own illegal migration problems.

“Only then can we secure our borders, and give the British people what they’ve rightly demanded for so long.”

A joint statement by the 27 countries said states should “not be prevented from entering into cooperation with third countries regarding asylum and return procedures”.

More than two dozen European countries said national governments must be able to “expel foreigners convicted of serious crimes even though they have acquired ties”.

They want more “weight” to put on the criminal’s offences, rather than their “social, cultural and family ties”.

And diplomats believe “the scope of inhuman and degrading treatment” under Article 3 – the right to protection from torture – should be “constrained to the most serious cases” amid fears it is abused by criminals and failed asylum seekers and overinterpreted by judges.

Foreign criminals have successfully argued they would be mistreated in overseas prisons and that their family lives would suffer if they were deported.

The communique declared: “The clear starting point is that a state party can expel foreigners convicted of serious crimes even though they have acquired ties to their host country, e.g. if they have established a family life there.

“In line with the principles in this statement, it is vital that the balance between individual rights and legitimate aims as per Article 8 of the convention is adjusted so that more weight is put on the nature and seriousness of the offence committed and less weight is put on the foreign criminal’s social, cultural, and family ties with the host country and with the country of destination.

“The purpose of such a rebalancing is to ensure that we no longer see instances where foreigners convicted of serious crime, including serious violent crime, sexual assault, organised crime and human and drug trafficking, cannot be expelled.

“The scope of ‘inhuman and degrading treatment’ under Article 3, which is an absolute right, should be constrained to the most serious issues in a manner which does not prevent state parties from taking proportionate decisions on the expulsion of foreign criminals, or in removal or extradition cases, including in cases raising issues concerning healthcare and prison conditions.”