Letters – December 2025

Rights and Wrong

Chris Grey’s article on the inadvisability of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights is apposite (‘The Conservative Plan to Leave the ECHR Marks the Crossing of a Rubicon’, 16 October 2025). Many commentators appear to overlook what must surely be the most significant argument against leaving – the ECHR is not just about immigration, it sets out the cornerstone of our basic rights and liberties, all enforceable in law. If we were to leave, legislation would be needed to enact into UK law all the other rights we currently enjoy under it. Would a Conservative or Reform UK government do that? Or would they dump those they regard as inconvenient? And even if they did enact all those rights, what is to stop a future government removing them or whittling them down? The risk is far too great.

Nick Walker

Racist Rhyme

I was interested in Peter Oborne’s account of the election win by the racist Conservative Peter Griffiths in Smethwick in 1964 (‘Diary: The Leper in the Commons’, 16 October 2025). This was the first General Election in which I took an interest and I remember the events clearly. Oborne quotes the slogan used by Griffiths’ supporters as “If you want a n***** for a neighbour, vote Labour”. This is the standard version quoted in many sources. My own recollection, however, is that the actual form of words used was “If you want a n***** for your neighbour, vote Liberal or Labour”.