An opinion poll has revealed 55 per cent of North West England residents want the UK to stay within the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The study by Amnesty International, carried out by Savanta, marked International Human Rights Day.

A significant majority also stated the value of the right to challenge the government and peacefully protest, plus the importance of rights education for youths.

Among the respondents, over half asserted that the UK should maintain its affiliation with the ECHR, while only 26 per cent advocated for withdrawal.

The poll also found that 84 per cent considered the ability to dispute government violations of people's rights significant.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said: "The Government should listen to the views of people in the North West who clearly want to keep their European Convention rights intact.

“The European Convention protects cherished freedoms.

"As we’ve seen with campaigns like Hillsborough and the Stafford Hospital scandal, the European Convention allows ordinary people to challenge public bodies or the Government when things go very badly wrong."

The poll indicated a shift in focus towards issues such as the cost of living crisis, which was identified as the top priority to tackle by 65 per cent of participants.

Mr Deshmukh added: "The Government of the day should not be able to pick and choose which rights apply, and who is entitled to them.

"Human rights have at their heart a principle of equality and they must apply to all people in order to be of value to any of us."

The research emerges after a wave of speculation among high-profile politicians about the UK distancing itself from the collective human rights treaty.

The reason for this heightened interest includes the government's recent legal loss surrounding the controversial Rwanda plan.