Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, is preparing to launch a comprehensive review into the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The initiative aims to bring unity within the party on an issue that has long caused internal debate.

In an upcoming speech, Badenoch will announce the creation of a commission to assess how international legal obligations—particularly the ECHR—affect the UK's ability to manage immigration. The commission will be led by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, a Conservative peer and former justice minister.

A major focus of the review is to identify ways to prevent international legal rulings from undermining government policies, especially those related to immigration control.

Badenoch also plans to revive a deportation policy similar to the Rwanda scheme, under which people who arrive in the UK by small boats would be blocked from claiming asylum and instead deported to a third country. The specific destination has not yet been named.

The original Rwanda plan, introduced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, faced several legal challenges and was eventually abandoned by the Labour government, despite considerable financial investment.

During the Conservative leadership contest, Badenoch had questioned the value of leaving the ECHR, hinting that even more radical measures might be needed to effectively control immigration. This differs from the stance of Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, who strongly supports exiting the ECHR.

Labour, meanwhile, advocates staying within the ECHR but plans to introduce laws ensuring that decisions about who can stay in the UK are made by Parliament and the government. This move aims to address concerns about Article 8 of the ECHR, which protects the right to family life and has been used to challenge deportations.

Badenoch’s announcement marks a strategic effort to bridge party divisions and respond to growing public concerns over immigration policy and national sovereignty.