The UK has joined EU ministers in a pledge to make it easier to deport foreign nationals as the continent tackles the problem of illegal migration. Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and other European ministers will make a joint political declaration on Friday that agrees on a stricter implementation of human rights law and reasserts states' sovereign rights to deport people from their countries. The declaration, which has been driven by the UK, Denmark and Italy, will be issued by foreign ministers in the Council of Europe, a group of 46 member states. Ministers have agreed to an updated interpretation of Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The UK and other member states hope that the statement will help the courts, which are independent of government, ensure that serious criminals are not able to avoid deportation. Article 3 of the ECHR protects against sending someone to a country where they would face torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.…