By . Jack Doyle . PUBLISHED: . 21:00 EST, 10 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:54 EST, 11 March 2013 . More than 100 MPs will this week demand ministers rip up human rights laws which have allowed hundreds of foreign criminals to stay in Britain. Proposals to come before the House of Commons within days would - it is hoped - end the flood of foreign convicts escaping deportation by claiming their right to a ‘private and family life’. The changes are being put forward by a cross-party group of MPs led by prominent Tory backbencher Dominic Raab and former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett. The relatively simple amendments to the law have gathered unprecedented levels of Parliamentary support, putting huge pressure on ministers to adopt them. Abuse: MPs want to stop foreign criminals staying in the country by claiming their right to a 'private and family life' under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. File picture . Without the changes, Article 8 will carry on being abused by killers, rapists, robbers and drug dealers. The cases include many overseas offenders who have made successful appeals despite not having any children living in this country. If passed, they would send a clear message to immigration judges who have to date defied efforts to get rid of the ‘family route’ loophole. Mr Raab, the MP for Esher and Walton, said: ‘This change is vital to stop the flow of serious - and often vicious - criminals running rings around our deportation system, making a mockery of British justice. ‘There’s a groundswell of cross-party support in favour of finally doing something about these appalling cases. Let’s stop talking about it, and start doing something.’ MP Dominic Raab said: 'This change is vital to stop the flow of serious - and often vicious - criminals running rings around our deportation system, making a mockery of British justice' Last year Home Secretary Theresa May . changed the immigration rules to limit use of Article 8 by foreign . criminals. Under the 2007 Borders Act those from outside the EU . sentenced to at least a year in jail should face automatic deportation . to their home country. This . helped reduce the number of human rights challenges from nearly 400 to . around 212 per year - of which the vast majority were Article 8 related. William Danga, an illegal immigrant and child rapist, successfully used Article 8 to stay in the UK . But the immigration courts have made clear in a series of cases, that they would ignore the new edicts and follow their own case law - because ministers changed guidance and not primary legislation. Ministers are thought likely to propose a similar change with a new Bill later this year or early next. But the amendment proposed this week - a straightforward nine word change to a Bill currently before Parliament, would become law much sooner. It is backed by 93 Tories, giving it more backing than any previous backbench proposal in this Parliament. Supporters include three former criminal justice ministers, Nick Herbert, Crispin Blunt and Jonathan Djanogly. The change would not stop criminals taking their cases to Strasbourg, but it would limit them to using Articles 2 and 3 of the Human Rights Act - which protect against anyone likely to be killed, tortured or mistreated if returned. Among those who have successfully used Article 8 to stay in Britain are William Danga, a sex attacker who raped and violently molested two young girls while fighting deportation on human rights grounds. The 40-year-old Congolese asylum seeker was jailed for ten years for raping a sixteen-year-old girl. He used his two children to stay in Britain - then attacked again after his release from prison. His victims were a four year-old girl and another aged just seven. It is thought there are around 4,000 overseas convicts now living in the UK which the government want to remove but are blocked from doing so by human rights laws.
More than 100 MPs back law change to end foreign criminals staying in UK .
There is huge pressure to stop abuse of Article 8 of Human Rights Act .
By . Jack Doyle . PUBLISHED: . 21:00 EST, 10 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:54 EST, 11 March 2013 . More than 100 MPs will this week demand ministers rip up human rights laws which have allowed hundreds of foreign criminals to stay in Britain. Proposals to come before the House of Commons within days would - it is hoped - end the flood of foreign convicts escaping deportation by claiming their right to a ‘private and family life’. The changes are being put forward by a cross-party group of MPs led by prominent Tory backbencher Dominic Raab and former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett. The relatively simple amendments to the law have gathered unprecedented levels of Parliamentary support, putting huge pressure on ministers to adopt them. Abuse: MPs want to stop foreign criminals staying in the country by claiming their right to a 'private and family life' under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. File picture . Without the changes, Article 8 will carry on being abused by killers, rapists, robbers and drug dealers. The cases include many overseas offenders who have made successful appeals despite not having any children living in this country. If passed, they would send a clear message to immigration judges who have to date defied efforts to get rid of the ‘family route’ loophole. Mr Raab, the MP for Esher and Walton, said: ‘This change is vital to stop the flow of serious - and often vicious - criminals running rings around our deportation system, making a mockery of British justice. ‘There’s a groundswell of cross-party support in favour of finally doing something about these appalling cases. Let’s stop talking about it, and start doing something.’ MP Dominic Raab said: 'This change is vital to stop the flow of serious - and often vicious - criminals running rings around our deportation system, making a mockery of British justice' Last year Home Secretary Theresa May . changed the immigration rules to limit use of Article 8 by foreign . criminals. Under the 2007 Borders Act those from outside the EU . sentenced to at least a year in jail should face automatic deportation . to their home country. This . helped reduce the number of human rights challenges from nearly 400 to . around 212 per year - of which the vast majority were Article 8 related. William Danga, an illegal immigrant and child rapist, successfully used Article 8 to stay in the UK . But the immigration courts have made clear in a series of cases, that they would ignore the new edicts and follow their own case law - because ministers changed guidance and not primary legislation. Ministers are thought likely to propose a similar change with a new Bill later this year or early next. But the amendment proposed this week - a straightforward nine word change to a Bill currently before Parliament, would become law much sooner. It is backed by 93 Tories, giving it more backing than any previous backbench proposal in this Parliament. Supporters include three former criminal justice ministers, Nick Herbert, Crispin Blunt and Jonathan Djanogly. The change would not stop criminals taking their cases to Strasbourg, but it would limit them to using Articles 2 and 3 of the Human Rights Act - which protect against anyone likely to be killed, tortured or mistreated if returned. Among those who have successfully used Article 8 to stay in Britain are William Danga, a sex attacker who raped and violently molested two young girls while fighting deportation on human rights grounds. The 40-year-old Congolese asylum seeker was jailed for ten years for raping a sixteen-year-old girl. He used his two children to stay in Britain - then attacked again after his release from prison. His victims were a four year-old girl and another aged just seven. It is thought there are around 4,000 overseas convicts now living in the UK which the government want to remove but are blocked from doing so by human rights laws.
More than 100 MPs will this week demand ministers want to stop foreign criminals staying in the family life' under Article 8 of the Human Rights