LABOUR shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan threw his lot in with the Tories yesterday by threatening to weaken Britain’s link to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Courting conservatives in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Khan suggested ripping out the part of the Human Rights Act that instructs judges to consider the ECHR’s decisions in their own rulings.

Mr Khan argued that British courts have for too long acted as if the decisions made by the European court were irrevocable.

“As a result, the sovereignty of our courts and the will of Parliament have both been called into question. This needs sorting out,” he added.

But Mr Khan’s lame stunt was very quickly revealed as just that, as British courts are free to make their own rulings while taking into account the European court.

Lawyers’ group The Law Society said it “wouldn’t agree with any change.”

It flagged up ECHR decisions insisting on the equal treatment of gay people, restricting state surveillance and upholding the global ban on torture.

Mr Khan’s proposals come just a few months after Home Secretary Theresa May suggested that Britain could leave the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court enforces.

A Labour spokeswoman said that “the Tories are obsessed with doing down anything to do with human rights. They never tire of trying to outdo Ukip.”

Mr Khan said he wanted the courts “to make a distinctively British contribution to the development and protection of human rights.

“We believe we can achieve this shifting of power back to our courts by publishing guidance alone, but I don’t rule out re-legislating to make things doubly clear if matters don’t improve.”

But justice campaigners said that the solution was more resources rather than tearing up existing laws.

“The threat to sovereignty, like the threat to our freedoms, comes from dull and distant politicians, desperate to sound relevant,” said Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti.