Kemi Badenoch declares war on illegal traveller camps as Britain's towns and villages face 'invasion'

Peter Stevens
Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:18:07 +0000

Kemi Badenoch has unveiled plans for a crackdown on illegal traveller camps in order to "stop two-tier justice".

The Conservative chief will campaign to give police the power to remove travellers at the request of landowners and prevent them from returning indefinitely.

Police are currently unable to evict travellers who have trespassed on private property unless they have caused significant damage, disruption or distress.

In 2022, legislation was passed by the Conservative Government to ban travellers from an area for up to 12 months.

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But this was overruled after the High Court in 2024 found parts of the law to be in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).

Mrs Badenoch said: "For years, towns and villages across Britain have been forced to accept criminality in their communities, but each measure we have used to deal with illegal traveller sites has fallen foul of the ECHR.

"That is why I have serious plans to end the power of foreign courts to frustrate the will of Parliament, and to back our police with the powers and resources they need."

She said the party would implement the changes by first leaving the ECHR.

"The Conservatives are the only party who are doing the proper work needed to leave the ECHR, take back our streets, and stand up for the rule of law. We will get Britain working again," Mrs Badenoch said.

Travellers in Hertfordshire, near the village of Flamstead, began laying concrete as they barged onto green belt land, The Telegraph reported on Monday.

Wielding iron bars, the travellers brought "lorryloads" of concrete as they "barged their way through" and damaged a few cars, one parish councillor said.

He added: "They play all the cards and know how to work the system. It’s created huge insecurity. Some people are worried about going out of their house."

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Just last month a village in Buckinghamshire accused a group of travellers of "holding them to ransom" after they demanded more than £600,000 to purchase back the land they were sitting on.

In Surrey, travellers rented out caravans for nearly £1,000 a month, turning their village into a caravan park, Shipley Bridge locals said.

And in Bristol, the number of travellers and van dwellers has increased in recent years, with an estimated 800 people living in 650 vans in the city.

The Tory chief has said "too many" people have had to "tolerate the behaviour of a small minority of travellers" - whom she accused of undermining the rule of law.

"The measures will stop the two-tier justice that so often plays out when these sites appear, with law-abiding citizens powerless as travellers go unpunished for crimes that other communities simply wouldn’t get away with," she said.

In addition to leaving the ECHR, the Conservatives plan to scrap the Human Rights Act and recruit 10,000 more police officers over three years, at a cost of £800 million, to "give them the manpower" to deal with travellers.

A Labour spokesman said: "The Labour Government recognises the importance of protecting public spaces and supporting communities affected by unauthorised encampments.

"The powers available to police and local authorities are designed to ensure enforcement can be carried out effectively where disruption occurs.

"The measures in place aim to support local residents and maintain public confidence in shared community spaces."