Liberty responds to Government Bill scrapping Human Rights Act

Responding to the Government announcement of a new Bill that will scrap the Human Rights Act, Liberty Director Martha Spurrier said:

“Let’s be clear: this Bill is a power grab by a Government that has no respect for our rights.

“The Human Rights Act protects everyone from injustice and abuse of power, and allows us to stand up to the government and institutions like the police or local councils when they get it wrong.

“We can’t let them get away with ransacking our rights like this.

“From the families of Hillsborough victims to military veterans, people use the Human Rights Act every day to stand up for their rights and get justice.

“But under the Government’s plans, it will become much harder for people – including disabled people and survivors of violence against women and girls – to access justice.

“This is a Government that repeatedly changes the rules to suit them, and is now planning to rip up the basic rights and protections we all rely on to make themselves untouchable.

“Time and time again, we have seen that this Government does not respect people’s rights and has no regard for the law.

“Human rights are universal, they should not be contingent on who the Government of the day thinks deserves them.

“It’s crucial we all stand up to this power grab and make it clear that we won’t tolerate the stripping away of our human rights.”