UK leaving European convention on human rights would be a mistake, equalities chief warns

"I think it's really important that we have honesty in the way that we talk about human rights, and that we also have a recognition that the demonisation of migrants creating this idea that migration causes huge risks for the country can make the lives not just of migrants to the UK, but of ethnic minority UK citizens, very, very difficult."

"She pointed to research from the University of Oxford earlier this year that highlighted several high-profile examples of misleading coverage, including the so-called chicken nuggets' case widely reported as the prevention of an individual's deportation on the basis of his child's dislike of foreign food, despite the decision not being based on this detail and having already been overturned."

The European Convention on Human Rights establishes a framework of fundamental rights recognized as essential. Public conversation about the convention often adopts a dangerous tone and may include misleading accounts of legal cases. Demonisation of migrants fosters the perception that migration creates major national risks and exacerbates difficulties for migrants and ethnic minority UK citizens. Research from the University of Oxford identified high-profile examples of misleading coverage, such as the so-called 'chicken nuggets' case, where reporting misrepresented the reasons for an initial decision and subsequent overturning. Political debate has intensified, with proposals to leave the treaty and government reviews of deportation-related human rights law.

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