Mike Nesbitt says 'biggest danger' to the UK comes from English nationalism - as he warns against 'destabilising' ECHR exit
English nationalism is a threat to the future of the United Kingdom, and plans by Reform UK and the Tories to quit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) would breach the Belfast Agreement, Mike Nesbitt has said.
The UUP leader pointed to comments from Nigel Farage that it might take longer for Northern Ireland to leave the ECHR – saying that as a unionist he wants the same rules applying across the UK.
However, he warned that quitting the convention would be “a very retrograde step” – and says unionists should be focused on peace and stability in the province.
In an interview with the News Letter ahead of his party conference on Saturday, Mr Nesbitt was asked if proposals to quit the ECHR would breach the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
“I think it does. Yes. And I think the problem with the ECHR is not the document itself. It's the way it's been interpreted by the courts, particularly courts in the United Kingdom”, he said.
Citing his party’s position in favour of remain in the EU referendum, Mr Nesbitt said that Brexit “was always going to be a disaster for Northern Ireland, because it was going to be entirely disruptive and unsettling.
“If you’re a unionist, what you should crave is stability so that people can get on with their lives, that we can enjoy a true peace. My agenda is a prosperity agenda. If you want to protect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK – maximise the number of people who are financially secure, whose children and grandchildren are being well educated, who have access to good quality public services, particularly health, and whose standard of living and quality of life is such that it pleases.
“Because under those circumstances, who on earth will vote for the uncertainty of constitutional change? They're going to say, give me more of the same. So to walk away from the European Convention on Human Rights would be a really, to my mind, a destabilising action”.
The UUP leader said “the biggest danger to the Union is English nationalism”. He cited the attitude of members of Nigel Farage’s UKIP, Brexit and Reform parties to issues such as the block grant in Scotland – saying that had introduced a “whole new dynamic” to UK politics which does not prioritise the union.