May ready to change rules on migrant criminals

IMMIGRATION rules are to be changed to stop foreign criminals and illegal immigrants hiding behind the Human Rights Act to avoid deportation.

Home Secretary Theresa May will announce the move in her speech to the Tory party conference in Manchester today as she vows to clamp down on those who “abuse” the right to a family life to stay in this country.

More than 100 foreign criminals and illegal immigrants are said to have used Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights to stay in the UK over the past year but none claimed they would be in danger of torture or abuse if they were sent back to their home countries.

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The move is likely to be welcomed by Tory activists but could concern some Liberal Democrat coalition partners as the two parties spar over human rights.

“The Government is committed to ensuring a better balance between an individual’s right to a family life, expressed in Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the wider public interest in controlling immigration,” said a Tory source. “We will therefore amend the immigration rules to achieve this objective.”

The convention says people have the right to respect for their private and family life, but this can be circumvented where necessary for public protection or for the economic well-being of the UK.