Our human rights are under attack

 

The UK Government has confirmed its intention to bring forward a new ‘Bill of Rights’ in the Queen’s Speech announced earlier this week. This Bill will reform the Human Rights Act 1998 and aims to make it harder for ordinary people to bring legal challenges when their rights have been violated.

The government has claimed its new Bill of Rights will curb “the incremental expansion of a rights culture” and “end abuse of the human right framework,” by “establishing the primacy of UK case law” over the  European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR)

In particular, the government argued the new bill will prevent foreign criminals from evading deportation, by using Article 8 of the ECHR – which guarantees the right to family life – to appeal decisions, but quite simply  is just another attempt by the Tory Government to make it harder for all of us to protect or enforce our rights.

The Human Rights Act  covers everyone  living in the UK, based  on the European Convention of Human Rights, that the Labour Party introduced  in 1998 and  has repeatedly let ordinary people - hold the state to account.  It is here to protect us all, and has enabled people for example to go to court to object against the bedroom tax. The policies have been created for no reason than to protect us as human beings. Without it any one of us could be wrongly accused of a crime, the government will be allowed to breach our privacy, and anyone could fall victim to careless decisions made by authorities. What happens to innocent until proven guilty and dignity in dying?

Moreover the HRA has empowered citizens to ensure that they are treated with greater dignity and respect in their everyday lives. It has led to vital improvements in laws and policies that have improved the lives of a wide range of people in a wide range of situations – including health and social care, education and housing.

Human rights  are in place to stop corrupt Governments like the one we have at the moment, and the Human Rights Act brings home fundamental, universal rights we all have as human beings, and allows us to challenge authorities if they violate them. If you’re lucky you won’t ever need to use it in a court. But it’s protecting you all the same.

It’s an invisible safety net for all of us, working quietly to ensure our rights are respected, and a crucial means of defence for the most vulnerable.  Right now this vital protection is at risk How could anyone in their right mind oppose any of the following.

Right to life
Freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment
Right to liberty and security
Freedom from slavery and forced  labour
Right to a fair trial
No punishment if you have not broken law
Respect for your private and family life 
Freedom of thought, belief and religion
Freedom of expression
Freedom of assembly and association
The right to marry and start a family

50 groups, including Amnesty, Liberty and the British Institute of Human Rights, have since warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson  that repealing the Act would “undermine the global system of rights and protections.”

Responding to the Queen’s Speech, Amnesty UK chief Sacha Deshmukh condemned what he described as the “systematic gutting” of key protections for people in Britain.

“Scrapping the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a narrower, meaner Bill of rights will make it even harder for ordinary people to challenge mistreatment at the hands of the state,” he warned.

“Relatives of the Covid bereaved, women challenging serious failures to investigate and prosecute rape, activists fighting for abortion services in Northern Ireland: all these rely on the Human Rights Act.”

This Tory Government’s attacks on human rights and the rule of law must stop. Trying to weaken people’s ability to challenge the Government just because the courts sometimes rule against you is the act of dictators and despots.We must not allow the Conservatives to steal away our precious human rights. 

The human rights act is ours, scrapping it will take away the rights of everyone, and it is the most vulnerable that will suffer most. We must do everything in our power to save it. As a modern democratic society, we must ensure that our human rights law remains on the statute books, and continues to make the lives of all people in the UK fairer and better.