The EUobserver reported that Theresa May, Home Secretary in the British government, speaking at an event organized by a think tank called Conservative Home, said: “By 2015 we’ll need a plan for dealing with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). And yes, I want to be clear that all options—including leaving the [court’s] convention altogether—should be on the table.”

Referring to the blocked deportation of Abu Qatada from the United Kingdom to Jordan by the ECHR on the grounds that Jordanian authorities might employ torture to secure evidence, the Home Secretary said: “When Strasbourg constantly moves the goalposts and prevents the deportation of dangerous men like Abu Qatada, we have to ask ourselves, to what end are we signatories to the convention? Are we really limiting human rights abuses in other countries? I’m skeptical. But are we restricting our ability to act in the national interest? Are we conceding that our own Supreme Court is not supreme? I believe we are.”

The Home Secretary’s speech further highlights the growing anti-European Union (EU) sentiment within the United Kingdom. Prime Minister David Cameron has already “promised to end British co-operation with EU-level crime-fighting structures, such as the European Arrest warrant,” as the country seeks to initiate a broader decoupling from European institutions.