Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right

Starmer and the Danish leader called on European allies to go further in tackling the shared challenge of migration by modernising the ECHR to reflect the challenges of the 21st century. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Keir Starmer has called on European leaders to urgently curb joint human rights laws so that member states can take tougher action to protect their borders and see off the rise of the populist right across the continent.

Before a crucial European summit on Wednesday, the prime minister urged fellow members to “go further” in modernising the interpretation of the European convention on human rights (ECHR) to prevent asylum seekers using it to avoid deportation.