Prominent members of the Conservative Party and Reform UK are urging Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This comes after an asylum seeker successfully stopped his deportation by citing family ties to his wife’s children.
Ramazan Morina, 27, avoided being sent back to Albania under the ECHR. Morina had entered the UK illegally at 16, but his asylum claims in 2014 and 2019 were rejected.
Despite this, he stayed in the UK and married Soraia Dias, a Portuguese citizen, in 2021. Dias has two children from a previous marriage to a Romanian man, who she left due to domestic abuse.
The Home Office attempted to deport Morina, arguing that he was living in the UK unlawfully. However, he appealed, claiming the ECHR protects his right to private and family life.
Independent social worker Laurence Chester reported that Morina had formed a close bond with Dias’s children, and Immigration Judge Hugo Norton-Taylor ruled that deporting him would harm the children emotionally.
The judge noted the children’s biological father still plays an active role in their lives but said their best interests include having both parents and Morina present.
Dias argued she could not move to Albania as her children’s father had refused permission, and she could face legal action for child abduction.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have called for the UK to leave the ECHR, arguing it hinders efforts to address immigration challenges like the small boats crisis. Farage stated that leaving the ECHR is necessary, as it no longer serves the UK’s interests.
