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.
