Does the Human Rights Act need to be reformed?

Committee Corridor

25 years ago, the landmark Human Rights Act changed the way in which human rights were enforced throughout the United Kingdom.

The Act gave domestic effect to the European Convention on Human Rights. The UK was one of the first countries to sign and ratify the convention in 1951.

Last year, the Government brought forward legislation for a British Bill of Rights, which would repeal and replace the Human Rights Act, but would place limitations on the interpretation and enforcement of those rights.

Host Joanna Cherry is joined by Professor Francesca Klug who considers the impact of the Act and offers practical examples of its application, looking at the rights of people in care homes during the pandemic and changes to the scope of inquests which contributed to the establishment of the Hillsborough, Grenfell Tower and COVID-19 inquiries.

Professor Klug was part of the legal team which assisted the 1998 Government to devise the model that gave effect to the European Convention on Human Rights in our domestic law, and part of the Government's task force which oversaw the implementation of the act in its early days. She has been awarded an OBE for her services to human rights.

Joanna is then joined by the Liberal Democrat Peer, Baroness Sarah Ludford and David Simmonds MP, Conservative member of Parliament for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner who were members of the cross-party Joint Committee on Human Rights when it published its report into Human Rights Act reform, which inspired the focus of this episode of the podcast.