Our CEO's statement on the Rights Removal Bill being stopped

“It is welcome news that the Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, has officially ditched the Bill of Rights Bill set in motion by his predecessor, Dominic Raab. BIHR has, since the start of this ill-fated process 18 months ago, called this out for what it is: a Rights Removal Bill that is unprincipled, unnecessary, and unworkable.  

It is a huge relief to people across the UK that our Human Rights Act will no longer be scrapped, as the Bill intended.  This outcome was by no means certain. No matter how legally illiterate the Bill may have been, this was not a mere position paper, it was a Bill, in parliament. Resisting the Bill has taken an incredible mobilisation of civil society, working in often quiet, but vital ways, to speak up for why our Human Rights Act matters for each one of us, every day.  

There is of course so much work to be done to secure people’s human rights, but it is important to also mark the wins. To all those we have worked with, and in particular the people who have shared stories of trauma and discrimination to make sure decision-makers understand what is at stake: we see you; we thank you. Together we have the strength to continue to secure our Human Rights Act.”