The UK Government’s plan (Human Rights Act reform: A Modern Bill of Rights) to replace the Human Rights Act (“HRA”) with a new Bill of Rights signals an intent to water down human rights protections, erect additional barriers to accessing justice, and equivocate on compliance with decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”). These proposals can be found here. These proposals undermine 20 years of human rights law and policy development across the UK by making it harder for people to enforce their rights and putting the UK in breach of its international law obligations.

The overall objectives of the proposal are at odds with the UK’s international legal obligations. The proposals fail to consider or discuss the incorporation of any other international human rights standards into UK law. As such, they strongly diverge from the widespread, cross-party support for stronger human rights laws that provide greater protection, including by incorporating other international human rights standards, particularly economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights. Any regression in the realisation of Convention rights would put those rights, largely civil and political, on a backwards trajectory.

To read the full letter signed by BSWN and our South-West sector partners, please see HERE.