24/06/2025 | 11:16:19 Thank you, Mr President. We all recognise the real and pressing challenges our nations face. But in my view, the case for rewriting the European Convention itself is not at all clear. First, national governments already have plenty of scope to act within the Convention as it stands. Take the UK. The UK Parliament has already been tightening up how Article 8, the right to family life, applies to foreign offender deportations for several years. The UK has legislated to define when the public... 30/01/2025 | 10:59:53 Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, every day, lawyers across Europe face mounting pressures simply for doing their jobs. Last year, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe published a report which heard from 15 000 lawyers across Europe. And the testimonies were shocking: physical attacks on lawyers in Sweden; criminal lawyers in Denmark warned to avoid certain areas because of the criminal defence work they were engaged in; immigration lawyers facing death threats, as Lord... 28/01/2025 | 14:46:04 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) The comprehensive report by Ms Bakoyannis comes at a critical moment. Democracy needs defending. Arecent study in the UK on young people in Britain paints a deeply troubling picture. A staggering 52% of those aged between 13 and 27 believe our nation would be better served by a strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament and elections. In my constituency of Folkestone and Hythe in Kent, I regularly meet young people who express...