**Myth:** The UK's sovereignty is being denied by preventing the government from overriding international law to stop asylum seekers. **Truth:** The UK voluntarily entered international treaties including the European Convention on Human Rights and the 1951 Refugee Convention, which protect the fundamental right to seek asylum from persecution. These agreements strengthen rather than weaken sovereignty by creating predictable legal frameworks that benefit all nations. When politicians claim sovereignty is "denied" by following these laws, they are actually demanding the power to breach international commitments the UK freely made and continues to benefit from in other contexts. The "will of the people" rhetoric obscures a dangerous precedent: no democratic mandate can legitimately override basic human rights protections for vulnerable people fleeing persecution. Countries that abandon international legal obligations to pursue popular policies create instability that ultimately harms their own citizens through damaged diplomatic relationships, economic consequences, and the erosion of rule of law. The real crisis is not people seeking safety, but the deliberate erosion of legal protections that keep everyone safe. *Sources: UK Government treaty obligations, UNHCR Convention status, European Court of Human Rights case law*