Tories confirm plans to scrap the Human Rights Act in Parliament
Previously announced plans to scrap the Human Rights Act have been confirmed in Parliament.
Earlier this year the Conservative Party announced plans to scrap the Human Rights Act, and replace it with a British Bill of Rights.
When asked in the House of Commons when plans would be confirmed, justice minister Dominic Raab said it would happen imminently.
“We will bring forward proposals on a bill of rights this autumn, they will be subject to full consultation. The preparation is going well,” he said.
He went on to say that the new Bill of Rights would place the UK Supreme Court over the European Court of Human Rights, and, referring to MPs, said it would give “a greater respect for the legislative role for honourable members in this place.”
Also, responding to suggestions that the Bill of Rights would be rushed, he said: “The Human Rights Act was itself rushed, there was no period of consultation, it was introduced to parliament in just six months and that’s one of the reasons it proved flawed in practice,” he said.
“We will take our time to get it right, we will take on board all the views that have been expressed and we want to restore some balance to our human rights regime and that’s what a bill of rights will do.”
The Tories vowed to scrap the HRA in their pre-election manifesto.
The Scottish Government has said they are opposed to the measure.
It is unclear whether the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights would be affected by giving the UK Supreme Court supremacy over the European Court of Human Rights.
David Cameron appointed former education secretary Michael Gove as Secretary of State for Justice earlier this year – replacing Chris Grayling – and the minister is responsible for pushing forward with the changes.
Article 14 of the Human Rights Act, which affords protection from discrimination, has been used in many legal cases to argue for protection for LGBT people.
A planning document that was previously made public on the Conservative website says the new British Bill of Rights will only be applicable in certain circumstances, and will not be valid for “trivial” matters.
It also explicitly states that the British Bill of Rights will not apply to the armed forces – which could strip LGBT soldiers of legal recourse under anti-discrimination protections.
