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The party declared it would 'end the two-tier treatment of travellers'

The Conservative Party has pledged to launch a "crackdown on illegal traveller sites".

The party said that by leaving the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and scrapping the Human Rights Act police would be empowered to ban travellers from encampments.

The Conservatives argued communities were being "forced to tolerate illegal encampments and breaches of planning laws" and "antisocial behaviour and petty crime, by a small minority of travellers".

House of Commons research commissioned by the party revealed that in the two years to January 2026, the number of caravans on unauthorised sites rose by 1,080 across England.

The Conservatives have now rolled out a five-point plan to "end the two-tier treatment of travellers and ensure equality under the law for all communities".

Labour and former Attorney General Lord Hermer were accused of having "capitulated to Strasbourg's diktats" by the Conservatives by introducing a three-month no-return period for travellers.

This is "effectively useless", because travellers can "simply rotate around a handful of sites in any given area", the party said.

Under the Tories' five-point plan, police would be given the power to indefinitely ban travellers from encampments and remove travellers if requested by landowners, retrospective planning application abuse would be scrapped, and it would be made an offence to trespass with a vehicle after being directed to leave.

The party said it would "reverse Labour's changes that weaken Green Belt and open countryside protections" and "scrap the ban on removing trespassing travellers if no alternative site is available in the area".

"Kemi Badenoch has been clear that everyone has to play by the same rules, and while we are a multiracial country, we should not be multicultural," a party spokesman said.

"The authorities cannot shy away from enforcing those rules for fear of being accused of racism. The Conservatives are on the side of the vast majority who follow the rules, and we will back them by ensuring that those who break the law are punished."

Earlier this year, Sir James Cleverly visited a traveller site in his constituency and accused them of "gaming the system" in an "illegal" land grab.

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The Shadow Communities Secretary said: "Communities across our country are forced to put up with lawbreaking by a small minority of travellers.

"In some areas, illegal sites and unauthorised development of legal sites is having a major negative impact on the local population, and residents feel abandoned.

"Police and local councils need our backing to intervene and take robust action without fearing they will be tripped up by activist lawfare.

"With new freedoms gained by leaving the ECHR, we will end the soft-touch approach favoured by Labour and ensure everyone is treated equally under the law."

And Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "Those who break the rules must be punished. That is a basic principle that must apply equally to all communities.

"Yet a small minority of travellers are getting away with things we would never tolerate among the wider population. It’s time for tough action to get this problem under control.

"Our plan will give the authorities the backing they need to crack down on traveller lawbreaking, putting local residents first and ensuring equality before the law. We are the only Party with the leadership and the viable plan to do that."

A Labour spokesman said: "The Tories left our planning system in a mess. Not only has this Labour Government put in place incredibly strong safeguards for developments in the green belt, we are also ensuring that there is a clearer and more consistent approach to planning, helping to deliver the housing our country desperately needs.

"Leaving the ECHR would destroy the partnerships we rely on to remove those who arrive here illegally, making it harder to deport illegal migrants. It’s utter nonsense from the Conservatives.

"With Andy Burnham’s leadership, this Labour Government is focused on solving problems, bringing back hope and getting Britain believing again."