Neil Parpworth takes stock of where we are at in relation to human rights reform
- How will Theresa May’s government deal with the proposed repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998, especially now that the EU Referendum outcome has led to a whole host of issues which will need to be prioritised?
Repealing the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA 1998) and replacing it with a British Bill of Rights is, for some, a solution in search of a problem. Nevertheless, the Conservative government under David Cameron announced in its manifesto prior to the 7 May 2015 General Election that if elected, this was one of the reforms it would introduce. Thus as the then Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, Michael Gove MP, asserted on a number of occasions, the government had a mandate for human rights reform. It was therefore believed in advance of the 2015 Queen’s Speech that a Bill would be announced. Instead, the two Houses were informed that: “My government will bring forward proposals for a British Bill of Rights.” These remarks were essentially repeated by
