Echoes of Brexit as Starmer is pressed to seize initiative on human rights

Allies say Keir Starmer can, and does, reel off the most important human rights cases and precedents from memory. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/AP

Can a lefty human rights lawyer be the one to take on Britain’s uneasy relationship with the European convention on human rights (ECHR)?

It is the most unlikely of causes for Keir Starmer. But there is a growing feeling in government that he should seize the initiative.