European police and courts will be barred from cooperating with their British counterparts if Boris Johnson follows through on his threat to water down human rights law, Brussels has said.

The European Commission has made human rights a red line in negotiations with the UK and said any security agreement would include an “automatic termination” clause tied to the UK keeping the Human Rights Act.

It was reported on Wednesday that the prime minister is planning to rewrite the 1998 Act and potentially even suspend the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), using a recent stabbing in South London as his pretext.

But in its negotiating mandate, published this week, Brussels said such a move would result in UK courts and police forces being locked out of cooperation with EU systems.

“The envisaged partnership should provide for automatic termination of the law enforcement cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters if the United Kingdom were to denounce the European Convention of Human Rights,” the Commission’s draft mandate says.

“It should also provide for automatic suspension if the United Kingdom were to abrogate domestic law giving effect to the ECHR, thus making it impossible for individuals to invoke the rights under the ECHR before the United Kingdom’s courts.”

The stipulation is the latest example of how EU policy preferences will continue to affect Britain after Brexit, even though the country is not a member and no say in formulating them.

Under the ECHR, citizens of signatory countries can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if they feel their rights have been breached. The only country in Europe not a signatory is Belarus, an authoritarian dictatorship.

The Human Rights Act was passed in 1998 by the UK government and writes ECHR rights into domestic law, meaning people in Britain can appeal to UK courts over breaches of their rights without having to go to Strasbourg. The act also makes it unlawful for any public body, such as the police, to breach human rights.

The Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday that ministers want to rip out provisions from the Human Rights Act protecting the right to life and the right to family life.

Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Show all 37 1 /37 Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit supporters celebrating in Parliament Square, after the UK left the European Union on 31 January. 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After 47 years in the European fold, the country leaves the EU at 11:00pm (2300 GMT) on Friday, with a handful of the most enthusiastic supporters gathering opposite the Houses of Parliament 12 hours before the final countdown. (Photo by ISABEL INFANTES / AFP) (Photo by ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images) ISABEL INFANTES AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People wave British Union Jack flags as they celebrate Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Pro Brexit supporters gather ahead of the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave at Parliament Square on January 31, 2020 in London, England. At 11.00pm on Friday 31st January the UK and Northern Ireland exits the European Union, 188 weeks after the referendum on June 23rd, 2016. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Leon Neal Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporter wave Union flags as they wait near a statue of British war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill, for the festivities to begin in Parliament Square, the venue for the Leave Means Leave Brexit Celebration in central London on January 31, 2020, the day that the UK formally leaves the European Union. - Brexit supporters gathered outside parliament on Friday to cheer Britain's departure from the European Union following three years of epic political drama -- but for others there were only tears. After 47 years in the European fold, the country leaves the EU at 11:00pm (2300 GMT) on Friday, with a handful of the most enthusiastic supporters gathering opposite the Houses of Parliament 12 hours before the final countdown. (Photo by ISABEL INFANTES / AFP) (Photo by ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images) ISABEL INFANTES AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters gather in Parliament Square, London, as the UK prepares to leave the European Union after 47 years. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Jonathan Brady PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Pro Brexit supporters gather ahead of the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave at Parliament Square on January 31, 2020 in London, England. At 11.00pm on Friday 31st January the UK and Northern Ireland exits the European Union, 188 weeks after the referendum on June 23rd, 2016. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Leon Neal Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People draped in UK flags walks across Parliament Square during a rainfall in London, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. Britain officially leaves the European Union on Friday after a debilitating political period that has bitterly divided the nation since the 2016 Brexit referendum. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Kirsty Wigglesworth AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Pro Brexit supporters gather ahead of the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave at Parliament Square on January 31, 2020 in London, England. At 11.00pm on Friday 31st January the UK and Northern Ireland exits the European Union, 188 weeks after the referendum on June 23rd, 2016. 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They are also open to suspending the UK’s membership of the ECHR entirely, it was reported. Asked about the possibility of suspending the convention, Mr Johnson’s spokesperson said: “We are going to ensure that we will bring forward the necessary legislation to protect the public because that’s the right thing to do.”