Monday, November 25, 2019
The Tory threat to human rights
The Tories have never been a great fan of human rights, so it is no surprise to read in the Independent that they are being accused of attempting to water down the Human Rights Act after announcing vague plans to "update" the legislation in their election manifesto.
The paper says that the 59-page blueprint, launched by Boris Johnson on Sunday, contains a promise to "update the Human Rights Act and administrative law to ensure that there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our vital national security and effective government:
The pledge comes after the prime minister vowed to end prosecutions of ex-soldiers accused of murder during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which would involve amending the act to exclude deaths before the legislation came into force in October 2000.
Tory MPs and members of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have long called for an end to prosecutions of veterans over killings during the Troubles, in an attempt to protect the armed forces from vexatious prosecutions.
But such a change to domestic legislation could put the UK at odds with the European Convention on Human Rights, according to legal experts.
It is not just this issue that has irked Tories in the past. Their commitment to, and understanding of human rights legislation has always been suspect, and there is no doubt in my mind that if we were to get a majority Tory Government on 13th December, there will be attempts to change the balance of rights in favour of the state.
The paper says that the 59-page blueprint, launched by Boris Johnson on Sunday, contains a promise to "update the Human Rights Act and administrative law to ensure that there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our vital national security and effective government:
The pledge comes after the prime minister vowed to end prosecutions of ex-soldiers accused of murder during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which would involve amending the act to exclude deaths before the legislation came into force in October 2000.
Tory MPs and members of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have long called for an end to prosecutions of veterans over killings during the Troubles, in an attempt to protect the armed forces from vexatious prosecutions.
But such a change to domestic legislation could put the UK at odds with the European Convention on Human Rights, according to legal experts.
It is not just this issue that has irked Tories in the past. Their commitment to, and understanding of human rights legislation has always been suspect, and there is no doubt in my mind that if we were to get a majority Tory Government on 13th December, there will be attempts to change the balance of rights in favour of the state.
