Kemi Badenoch Pledges Crackdown on Illegal Traveller Camps Across England
Kemi Badenoch has announced plans to launch a major crackdown on illegal traveller encampments, arguing that stronger powers are needed to restore order in communities across England.
The Conservative leader said her party would introduce new measures allowing police to remove trespassers from private land at the request of landowners and prevent them from returning indefinitely. The proposal forms part of a broader strategy aimed at addressing what she described as growing disruption linked to unauthorised encampments in towns and villages.
Under current rules, police are limited in their ability to remove travellers from private land unless there is clear evidence of significant damage, disruption or nuisance. Badenoch argues that these restrictions leave many communities powerless to respond when illegal sites appear.
She also criticised the influence of the European Convention on Human Rights, claiming legal challenges linked to the convention have prevented previous attempts to strengthen enforcement. Badenoch said the Conservatives would pursue plans to withdraw from the convention in order to give Parliament greater authority over domestic law and policing powers.
“In many communities people have been forced to tolerate criminal behaviour linked to illegal encampments,” Badenoch said, arguing that stronger legal tools are required to support local authorities and police forces.
The Conservatives have also proposed scrapping the Human Rights Act 1998 and recruiting an additional 10,000 police officers over the next three years as part of a wider law-and-order agenda.
Reports of tensions between residents and traveller groups have increased in recent months. In one case in Hertfordshire, local officials said travellers had begun pouring concrete on protected green-belt land after moving onto the site, raising concerns among residents.
The proposals have already sparked debate in British politics, with supporters arguing they will restore confidence in the rule of law, while critics warn that withdrawing from international human-rights commitments could carry significant legal and diplomatic consequences.
A spokesperson for the Labour government said existing powers already allow police and local authorities to respond to illegal encampments when communities experience disruption.
The issue is likely to remain a prominent point of contention as political parties position themselves on policing, human rights and public order ahead of future elections.
