abu hamza

It was a little over three years ago that David Cameron first called for the Human Rights Act (HRA) to be abolished and replaced by a British Bill of Rights. His intervention was prompted by the revelation that Learco Chindamo, the convicted murderer of the head teacher Philip Lawrence, would escape deportation to his native Italy because this would breach his right to family life in this country. The then Leader of the Opposition did not mince his words: "It has to go. Abolish the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights… The fact that the murderer of Philip Lawrence cannot be deported flies in the face of common sense."

Learco Chindamo: Britain must make its own human rights laws, 'Telegraph View'

David Cameron is a fool. So is 'Telegraph View' for believing him, and not bothering to do any research at all. Although it might have been the case that human rights law would have prevented Chindamo's deportation, in fact the law that was used was EU immigration law, not the Human Rights Act (or the ECHR). We wouldn't have been able to deport Chindamo whether or not we were bound by the ECHR: under EU law, we could only do so if he was thought to be a 'risk to the public'. The tribunal that considered his case thought he didn't present that risk.