Keir Starmer ally Lord Hermer suggests those who want to quit the ECHR are happy for Channel migrants to 'drown in the water'

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 10:50, 5 June 2026 | Updated: 10:52, 5 June 2026 One of Keir Starmer's closest allies has suggested those who want to axe human rights laws in order to cut illegal migration are happy to 'let people drown' in the Channel. Richard Hermer, the Attorney General, made the remarks as he gave a forceful defence of Labour's commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Both the Conservatives and Reform UK have vowed to quit the ECHR if they win power at the next general election, as a means of dealing with illegal immigration. But Lord Hermer argued it was only by remaining members of the ECHR and the Council of Europe - the body which oversees the ECHR - that Britain could cooperate with other countries on trying to reduce the number of Channel crossings. The Cabinet minister pointed to the Government's 'one in, one out' immigration agreement with France, as well as a separate 'shallow waters' deal that is aimed at stopping so-called 'taxi boats' used by people smugglers. He also highlighted the Government's pact with Germany to disrupt the supply of small boats to northern France and Belgium. Lord Hermer told the BBC's Political Thinking podcast: 'Since we've come back into Government - and we've had a recommitment to the Council of Europe and the Convention - we've been able to sign really meaningful deals.' The Attorney General added that 'thousands of people' had been stopped in shallow waters - who otherwise would have made it to the UK - due to the Government's action. Richard Hermer, the Attorney General, made the remarks as he gave a forceful defence of Labour's commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) Both the Conservatives and Reform UK have vowed to quit the ECHR if they win power at the next general election, as a means of dealing with small boats crossing the Channel 'Those deals are because we are in the Council of Europe,' Lord Hermer said, adding the agreements 'would go' if the UK quit the ECHR. He continued: 'What Reform and the Tories have to answer is - what would you do?  'You wouldn't be able to have deals with France and Germany because they are contingent upon being members of it.' Challenged about Conservative and Reform promises to swiftly deport those who illegally arrive in the UK, Lord Hermer said: 'Well, I think what they mean by that is they let people drown in the water, and that is not a British way to deal with it. 'That is not commensurate with our values. The way to deal with it is the way that we've been dealing with it. 'We're going to carry on rolling out further agreements, which is cooperation with the states through which people are traveling, through which people are launching boats, and we do that through our membership of the Council of Europe.' Pressed on whether he was suggesting Tory leader Kemi Badenoch wanted people to drown in the Channel, Lord Hermer replied: 'No, no. 'I think if you hear some of the voices even to the Right of Kemi Badenoch, some of the kind of language and some of the rhetoric is deeply, deeply concerning. 'The kind of disregard for the humanity of people. But what I am saying is - it's only through that international cooperation that we're going to be able to deal effectively with small boats.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.