Given importance if security cooperation to UK-EU relations this story only makes sense if UK government is actively planning to leave the European Convention on Human Rights [THREAD] 
As story notes, the Prime Ministers’s de facto chief of staff is hostile to the European Convention and wants UK to leave it, and several senior members of the cabinet are hostile to the Human Rights Act, which incorporates Convention into domestic law
The goverment is planning to set up a commission to review the Human Rights Act and the role of the courts hrw.org/news/2020/02/1…
When previous Conservative government tried to change the Human Rights Act by replacing it with a British Bill of (weaker) Rights they concluded they couldn’t water down rights while UK stayed in European Convention, so they turned attention to leaving that
In 2016 before Brexit referendum Theresa May, then Home Secretary said she wanted UK to leave the European Convention google.com/amp/s/amp.theg…
After May became Prime Minister she backed away from that position (perhaps given scale of challenge from Brexit) and 2017 Conservative election manifesto committed UK to remain part of Convention for duration of Parliament
That was evidently just a temporary dentente. Newly elected government once again has Human Rights Act and European Convention on its agenda
The UK government’s attack on our rights is deeply misguided. It will make us less safe at home, weaken human rights protection in Europe and damage the UK’s international standing at a critical time
The European Convention protects people’s rights across Europe and offers a chance for justice for victims of human rights abuses - including in the UK - when their own governments fail them
In the coming months we need to come together, to defend our rights and our shared values at home and abroad [ENDS] hrw.org/news/2020/02/0…
