The Centre for European Legal Studies (CELS), The Centre for Public Law (CPL) and the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (LCIL) held a roundtable event on 'The Future of the European Convention on Human Rights in the United Kingdom' on 21 February 2026.

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) remains one of the most significant instruments of human rights protection in Europe. Yet in the United Kingdom, its place in the constitutional order is increasingly contested. Political debate has raised questions about the appropriateness of the ECHR's reach, its domestic incorporation through the Human Rights Act 1998, and the proper balance between parliamentary sovereignty and Strasbourg supervision.

The aim of this roundtable was to bring together Cambridge academics to consider possible trajectories for reform and the mechanisms to achieve this. The discussion provided a space not only for doctrinal and legal analysis but also for assessing political realities and potential path. The roundtable started from the perspective that there is a perception, very strong in some quarters, that the ECHR is not fit for purpose.

Chair: Catherine Barnard

Nabil Khabirpour
Jan Klabbers
Marcus Gehring

Chair: Sandesh Sivakumaran

Darren Peterson
Stevie Martin

For further information:

CELS: https://www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk/

CPL: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/

LCIL: https://www.lcil.cam.ac.uk/

The Future of the European Convention on Human Rights in the United Kingdom: CELS/CPL/LCIL Roundtable