Conservative leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat has said he is prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if it “doesn’t serve our interests”.
The former security minister and soldier threw his hat in the ring to replace Rishi Sunak on Wednesday night as nominations opened.
Seen as a moderate candidate, Mr Tugendhat, now shadow security minister, announced he was running by saying the Conservatives lost the election because the party “lost the trust of the British people, because we didn’t do what we said we would”.
He has changed his position on the ECHR, which guarantees fundamental human rights in law.
It is enforced by the European Court of Human Rights and the UK played an important role in its birth after the Second World War.
Previously, he has dismissed calls to leave the ECHR but has now said he would look at leaving – in a stance seen as appealing to those on the right of the party.
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Mr Tugendhat told Sky News’ Breakfast with Kay Burley: “I’m prepared to make any decision necessary to keep Britain safe.
“We’ve got to be prepared to look at all of these organisations and if they serve the British interests and we support them, and if they don’t.
“Then we either reform them, what we derogate or we leave them.
“And I think you’ve got to be clear eyed about this.
“We should never be a part of any organisation that doesn’t serve our interests.
“We should never be part of any alliance that doesn’t promote the security – and prosperity falls into that.”
He added: “I’m very, very clear that all institutions, all treaties, must serve the interests of the British people.
“And where they do, I’ll support them, where they don’t I won’t.”
Read more:
Who could replace Rishi Sunak?
By Darren McCaffrey, political correspondent
The UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights has been a bone of contention in Conservative politics for years now.
And despite a significant election defeat, the debate is back on the agenda today.
That’s because leadership hopeful and shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat has suggested he is prepared to leave the convention.
He told Sky News: “I’m prepared to make any decision necessary to keep Britain safe.”
This is genuinely surprising given only last year the same Tom Tugendhat warned that leaving the convention could have consequences for the Good Friday agreement, the Windsor framework and devolved administrations.
So what has changed?
Widely viewed as the one nation, centrist candidate, Mr Tugendhat might feel that if he wants to win the leadership race, he needs to extend his appeal across the broad coalition that is the Conservative Party.
So by showing he is willing to take a tougher position on the ECHR he hopes he might convince those who have been critical in the past.
But how far is he willing to go? Is it a genuine position?
If he can’t demonstrate that it is, his rather vague positioning might do his leadership ambitions more harm than good.
Mr Tugendhat’s position on the ECHR has changed over time as he previously wanted to see it reformed but the UK remain part of it.
In 2015, he said the ECHR should no longer apply to the UK’s armed forces in wartime and is understood to have supported opting out of certain parts of it.
He has expressed concern the court has overreached, including when it said Switzerland’s human rights were under threat due to its failure to tackle carbon emissions.
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On Thursday, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick became the third Conservative to throw their hat in the ring.
Former home secretary James Cleverly formally announced he was standing to become Tory leader on Tuesday.
Four other Tory MPs who have picked up nomination papers: Priti Patel, Kemi Badenoch, Mel Stride and Suella Braverman.
