How is the Human Rights Act related to the ECHR?

Schedule 1 of the Human Rights Act lists 16 Articles from the ECHR and says they are now protected in UK law. This means that when people’s rights are put at risk, they can take cases to UK courts as a first step rather than having to go straight to the European Court of Human Rights. This is a much less expensive and quicker option.

The Human Rights Act itself was made to satisfy the obligations in Article 1 (that states will secure everyone’s rights) and Article 13 of the ECHR (the right to an effective remedy). These rights are not listed separately because they’re said to be met by the existence of the Human Rights Act.