The UK has backed a new agreement on how key European human rights laws are interpreted in cases involving illegal migration. Several countries dealing with migration pressures have pushed for changes to the application of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), particularly Article 3, which protects against inhuman or degrading treatment, and Article 8, covering the right to family life.

Both articles have been cited in legal challenges preventing people with no legal right to remain in the UK from being deported. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper attended the Council of Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Moldova on Friday, where the declaration was signed by the 46 members of the Council of Europe, the political body which oversees the human rights court and is entirely separate to the European Union.

Labour, unlike the Conservative Party and Reform UK, is committed to remaining within the ECHR, which was drawn up in the aftermath of the Second World War. However, the Foreign Office said a "more modern" interpretation of the ECHR is needed as more than 200,000 migrants are thought to have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since 2018. Successive governments have tried to work with France to disrupt crossings, as well as revising the rules for claiming asylum in the UK in attempts to deter people from making the dangerous journey.

Ms Cooper said ahead of her visit: "We have been working with neighbours across Europe to ensure that countries can take strong action against illegal migration, control borders, uphold the rule of law and respect international standards.

"The ECHR has protected democracy, human rights and the rule of law across Europe for 75 years.

"To ensure this continues, we need a common sense approach that reflects the realities of today.

"We want to ensure that immigration systems can't be unfairly gamed to prevent foreign criminals or those accused of crimes abroad being lawfully returned."

The new declaration does not rewrite the human rights convention itself - a process that could take years - but instead sends a political message from member states to human rights judges that greater weight should be given to public interest and democratic concerns when ruling on migration cases.

The document says pressures facing European countries have either changed significant or were unforeseen at the time the human rights convention was drafted.

Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer said: "The ECHR delivers meaningful protections for ordinary people in Britain and across Europe.

"The convention is 75 years old, but it has never been static – it has shown its ability to adapt and to respond to new challenges.

"That is why this country is proud to be part of a process to work with colleagues across the continent to modernise how the ECHR works, including how to protect our borders in the national interest, to ensure the convention endures for another 75 years and beyond."