Conservatives would quit ECHR and drill in North Sea as they unveil ‘alternative King’s Speech’

In its “alternative King’s Speech” the Conservative Party outlined a series of ambitious proposals, including withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), tripling stop-and-search powers and restarting new North Sea drilling.

The package, announced ahead of the Labor government’s official priorities, aims to “reverse Keir Starmer’s disastrous decisions” while also aiming to “correct the mistakes of previous Conservative governments”.

Leader Kemi Badenoch said the document showed the “renewed” Conservative Party, which he had vowed to rebuild after a crucial general election defeat in 2024, was “back with a plan to deliver”.

The 16 bills, covering welfare, immigration, crime, energy and defence, are the result of 18 months of policy work since the party lost power.

Ms Badenoch has previously apologized for “mistakes” made by past Tory administrations on tax and immigration, particularly the increase in immigration brought about by Boris Johnson’s government with looser post-Brexit rules.

The party’s proposals to address this issue include legislation to repeal the Human Rights Act and allow withdrawal from the ECHR, which it accuses of preventing the deportation of people who do not have the right to remain in the UK.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Membership of the ECHR and the Blairite Human Rights Act has protected everyone except the British people.

“Our borders have eroded and policing has weakened.

“For any future government to be successful, it is essential that it tackles the laws that hold our country back.”

Mr Philp also said the proposed Reclaim Our Streets Bill would “triple stop-and-frisk, deploy 10,000 extra officers and introduce live facial recognition to the worst crime hotspots, repairing the damage Labor has done in less than two years”.

The Conservative Party has also pledged to reduce legal barriers to approving new oil and gas projects in the UK with the Get Britain Drilling Bill.

Although opponents said the new licenses would do nothing to reduce bills, they argued that it would reduce the rise in energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East.

Ms Badenoch said: “If you want a country with strong, properly defended borders, a great place to start and run a business and a country where the law is valid, this alternative King’s Speech delivers just that.

“We live with the harsh reality of an opposition entering government without a plan. I am not making the same mistake and this alternative King’s Speech shows that the Conservative Party is back with a plan.”

Here is the full list of bills proposed by the Conservative Party:

The Conservatives suffered significant losses in this week’s elections, losing hundreds of council seats across England.

But Ms Badenoch said the results showed “signs of renewal” after the Conservative Party regained control of Westminster from Labor, retained their majorities in Bexley, Kensington and Chelsea and became Wandsworth’s largest party.