Currently, these students can access financial assistance and pay “home status” fees, which are far cheaper than those paid by international students.
This would be another breach of Britain’s withdrawal agreement with the EU, and Brussels would likely respond by launching dispute proceedings.
6. ECHR membership and the TCA
Reform has made quitting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) a flagship promise, claiming Britain’s departure from the agreement is essential if it is to implement its domestic policies without constraint, such as deporting all migrants who enter the U.K. irregularly.
That appears to breach the wide-ranging Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Johnson struck with the bloc after Britain left the EU in 2020.
While the ECHR is distinct from the EU, the TCA agrees to the “protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals” in the ECHR.
The TCA also notes the “importance of giving effect to the rights and freedoms in that convention domestically.”
There’s also the Northern Ireland peace agreement to think about. A report by the UK in a Changing Europe think tank published last year says leaving the ECHR would require a renegotiation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, as the treaty is underpinned by membership of the convention.
Leaving could also cause the extradition of suspects facing trial between the U.K. and EU states to be suspended, given that one ECHR article protects the right to a fair trial.