Shabana Mahmood warns foreign criminals 'should expect to be deported'

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood will call for reform to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as she warns foreign criminals should expect to be deported.

Ms Mahmood will say the pact, which Winston Churchill helped draw up after the Second World War, needs to be overhauled to prevent foreign offenders from using human rights laws to escape extradition.

In a speech to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg today, she will say: "The European Convention on Human Rights is one of the great achievements of post-war politics. It has endured because it has evolved. Now, it must do so again.”

She will point to the part of the convention that enshrines a right to family life, which critics say is exploited to overturn deportation orders.

It comes as the Government battles to tackle the overcrowding crisis in prisons, which has forced ministers to push ahead with plans to release some offenders early.

Ms Mahmood is expected to say: "If a foreign national commits a serious crime, they should expect to be removed from the country.”

The Government's position has hardened in recent months.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in March that she would review how international human rights law is applied to let people to stay in the UK who arrive by illegal routes as she fights to grip the small boats crisis.

But Keir Starmer promised last year he would "never" withdraw from the convention and said he would address illegal migration with "humanity and with a profound respect for international law".

Last month, Attorney General Lord Hermer apologised for a "clumsy" remark where he compared Tory and Reform calls to quit the ECHR and disregard international treaties to Nazi Germany.

It comes as Downing Street admitted the situation with people trying to make the perilous Channel crossing in small boats situation is "deteriorating".

A No10 readout of a meeting between the Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in Canada made the assessment - and said both countries would work closely together.

The UK and France will hold a summit in July focused on tackling the crisis. No10 said: "“Migration should be a key focus given the deteriorating situation in the Channel, they confirmed - adding that they should continue to work closely with other partners to find innovative ways to drive forward progress."