LONDON, Dec 10, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - UK leader Keir Starmer and Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen called for the European Convention on Human Rights to be modernised to tackle irregular migration, as countries prepared to discuss the issue Wednesday.

Their comments came in a joint commentary published in The Guardian newspaper ahead of a meeting in Strasbourg of justice ministers and officials from ECHR signatory countries to discuss the convention.

The talks come after US President Donald Trump this week blasted Europe as "decaying" and "weak" on immigration and Ukraine.

Starmer and Frederiksen, who have toughened immigration policies in their countries, called for a "modernisation of the interpretation" of the ECHR, which came into force in 1953.

The leaders said their proposal is "so that the convention system, which we believe in, can evolve to reflect the challenges of the 21st century".

They argued that without a change "the forces that seek to divide us will grow stronger," in a clear reference to surging support for hard-right political parties across Europe.

UK justice minister David Lammy is to attend the Strasbourg talks.

The ECHR has been criticised by lawmakers across Europe who say it hinders efforts to stop irregular migration. In Britain's case it is the arrival of thousands of migrants across the Channel in small boats.

The opposition Conservative Party and the anti-immigration Reform UK party, which currently leads opinion polls, advocate a complete withdrawal from the convention.

Starmer's Labour administration has vowed to stay a member of the convention but is reviewing how UK courts interpret Article 3, which prohibits torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and has been used by asylum seekers to fight deportation.

It is also looking at Article 8, which states that "everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life".

"We will always protect those fleeing war and terror - but the world has changed and asylum systems must change with it," Starmer and Frederiksen wrote.