Do we need a UK Bill of Rights?
This consultation was issued by the Commission on a Bill of Rights, established by Government in March this year. Although the consultation did not put forward a detailed proposal on how this would be designed or would operate, it is broadly proposed that a new Bill of Rights could replace the Human Rights Act, incorporating the UK's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights within a UK-specific set of rights and liberties.
MRN's view, and that of others including the Equality and Diversity Forum, is that the Human Rights Act serves to protect the universal rights of non-citizens better than would be achieved by a new Bill of Rights. In our response to the consultation MRN argued that the Human Rights Act allows the judiciary to balance the interests of the individual against wider interests, ensuring that fair decisions are taken which are in alignment with European standards. Introduction of a new UK Bill of Rights could involve creating a new set of rights which, if recent statements by ministers are anything to go by, could involve reduced access to rights for some non-citizens.