Scrapping Human Rights Act Best Way To Protect Human Rights, Says Attorney General
The attorney general of the United Kingdom has said that he intends to scrap the Human Rights Act in the UK as part of his plans to improve the human rights of British citizens.
Jeremy Wright has insisted that plans being brought forward to end scrap the 1998 Human Rights Act, which cements British involvement in the European Convention of Human Rights, is part of the government’s manifesto pledge before the 2015 elections and is not an attempt to water down the rights of people living in Britain.
The Conservatives have pledged to replace the act with a British Bill of Rights, although they have not yet revealed any information about the new act and how they are intended to alter the wording of the existing rights. It is not clear when the Conservatives plan to release information about the changes, although Wright is adamant that any changes will only serve to strengthen the rights of British citizens, although he fails to mention how the rights of migrants and asylum seekers may be affected.
Currently, the European Convention on Human Rights is bound into British law, and all public bodies are bound to follow its principles. Justice secretary Chris Grayling had first suggested that Britain may leave to stop its involvement with the convention, although the idea seemed to have been put to one side until Wright spoke up on the issue.
Despite the assurances from Wright that the new Bill of Rights would protect the rights of individuals in the UK, many groups have been quick to criticize the move. Last week, the highly respected international human rights group, Amnesty, released their annual State of the World’s Human Rights report, and they have been quick to criticize the British proposals on the grounds that they are a “gift for dictators.”
Amnesty believes that withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights weakens the position of Britain to try to ensure other countries around the globe adhere to international human rights standards. Further, by removing one of the world’s leading proponents of human rights from the convention, it undermines the ability of all major European countries to influence other nations on human rights.
Amnesty International UK Director, Kate Allen, says that “There’s no doubt that the downgrading of human rights by this government is a gift to dictators the world over and fatally undermines our ability to call on other countries to uphold rights and laws.”
“If Britain – a key member of the human rights council, a founding member of the UN and a privileged, permanent member of the security council – is considering a move that will potentially weaken a vital regional institution upholding fundamental human rights guarantees, this would be profoundly regrettable; damaging for victims and human rights protection; and contrary to this country’s commendable history of global and regional engagement.”
Despite the concerns of Amnesty and the international community, the Conservatives fully intend to press ahead with changes to the act in the UK. Jeremy Wright has hit back at Amnesty by suggesting that they overstated the case against Britain, insisting that his government will continue to work with the international community to improve global human rights.
Despite the assurances of the attorney general, concerns remain that Britain will weaken the human rights legislation both domestically and abroad.
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