10-04-2020, 01:42 PM
The United Kingdom has long been a nation of rules and laws, indeed the rule of law is at the centre of everything we hold dear as a nation. Parliamentary sovereignty is recognised by the courts and that is why it is time for Parliament to legislate on the most fundamental of things, our human rights. At present however if we wish to enforce those rights our citizens regularly have to enforce them in Europe with the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, I do not believe that that system should be allowed to persist. The British people demand that they have the right to get justice at home, and they demand that such justice should not cost them an arm and a leg with a team of international lawyers to get it. There are countless legislative items across the World that cover the rights of man, or as we would now more likely say the rights of the citizens and residents of a nation, today I am outlining the Conservative Party’s plan for legislating these rights into domestic law with what we shall call the British Bill of Rights, bringing affordable and understandable justice that little bit closer to home and giving British courts the power to decide these cases before they have to get to the European level.
The British Bill of Rights will be unique in British law because it will be able to override subsequent statute. From the date of its passage the British Bill of Rights will ensure that all future legislation is compliant with the rights of the individual, if this is impossible it will either have to be exempted with a clause in the Bill saying it is exempt from the Bill of Rights, with the Government having to explain to Parliament and therefore the people why this provision is required, or it will be liable to be struck down by the courts should it infringe on someone’s liberties and rights. The Bill of Rights will reaffirm everyone’s equal rights, be you black or white, male or female, rich or poor we will all have the same fundamental and universally recognised rights; but it will also reaffirm everyone’s responsibility before the law to uphold those rights whether you be a private individual, a FTSE 100 business, or even a Government department you will have a duty to uphold the rights of the individual where you are called upon to do so be that in an employment situation, the provision of a service, or some other encounter. Failure to do so would, as a result of this legislation, result in legal action, both civil and - strictly where necessary - criminal. The Government will work with legal professionals, scholars, and experts to ascertain where the proper balance should be struck in protecting the rights of an individual whilst also ensuring that those same rights do not infringe upon the rights of another individual.
The rights themselves will be derived from both existing domestic sources and from other international declarations of Human Rights including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which are heavily influenced by British thought with the UK being a founding member of both. It will include many universal rights that will apply to all including the right to freedom of speech, the right to practice one’s own religion, and the right to peaceful assembly but it shall also include protective rights for those individuals who need them. Rights such as those included in the Race Relations Act and the Sexual Discrimination Act will be put on firmer legislative ground as part of this Bill of Rights and they shall be extended to explicitly cover to associated rights for example the right of a woman not to be discriminated against for her marital status, or the fact she is pregnant. These measures will provide far clearer enforcement opportunities, and far greater clarity and certainty, for these individuals to protect their rights against private and public bodies.
A Bill of Rights is the kind of legislation that you hope never to have to rely upon, the kind of legislation that protects the everyday man from both government and corporation alike lest either go to far, but it is precisely the kind of legislation we may well have to rely upon someday. It is for this reason that the Conservative Party is committed to getting it right and getting it legislated into law. After the election if we are blessed with a Conservative Government we will immediately begin the process of consulting with legal experts to draft a comprehensive legislative system to properly identify, address, and protect your legal rights providing you with inalienable rights which even the Government would be unable to violate. I urge the other parties that could form some part of Government to join us in committing to this process so that we can simplify and strengthen the law with regards to both human rights and anti-discrimination action.
The British Bill of Rights will be unique in British law because it will be able to override subsequent statute. From the date of its passage the British Bill of Rights will ensure that all future legislation is compliant with the rights of the individual, if this is impossible it will either have to be exempted with a clause in the Bill saying it is exempt from the Bill of Rights, with the Government having to explain to Parliament and therefore the people why this provision is required, or it will be liable to be struck down by the courts should it infringe on someone’s liberties and rights. The Bill of Rights will reaffirm everyone’s equal rights, be you black or white, male or female, rich or poor we will all have the same fundamental and universally recognised rights; but it will also reaffirm everyone’s responsibility before the law to uphold those rights whether you be a private individual, a FTSE 100 business, or even a Government department you will have a duty to uphold the rights of the individual where you are called upon to do so be that in an employment situation, the provision of a service, or some other encounter. Failure to do so would, as a result of this legislation, result in legal action, both civil and - strictly where necessary - criminal. The Government will work with legal professionals, scholars, and experts to ascertain where the proper balance should be struck in protecting the rights of an individual whilst also ensuring that those same rights do not infringe upon the rights of another individual.
The rights themselves will be derived from both existing domestic sources and from other international declarations of Human Rights including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which are heavily influenced by British thought with the UK being a founding member of both. It will include many universal rights that will apply to all including the right to freedom of speech, the right to practice one’s own religion, and the right to peaceful assembly but it shall also include protective rights for those individuals who need them. Rights such as those included in the Race Relations Act and the Sexual Discrimination Act will be put on firmer legislative ground as part of this Bill of Rights and they shall be extended to explicitly cover to associated rights for example the right of a woman not to be discriminated against for her marital status, or the fact she is pregnant. These measures will provide far clearer enforcement opportunities, and far greater clarity and certainty, for these individuals to protect their rights against private and public bodies.
A Bill of Rights is the kind of legislation that you hope never to have to rely upon, the kind of legislation that protects the everyday man from both government and corporation alike lest either go to far, but it is precisely the kind of legislation we may well have to rely upon someday. It is for this reason that the Conservative Party is committed to getting it right and getting it legislated into law. After the election if we are blessed with a Conservative Government we will immediately begin the process of consulting with legal experts to draft a comprehensive legislative system to properly identify, address, and protect your legal rights providing you with inalienable rights which even the Government would be unable to violate. I urge the other parties that could form some part of Government to join us in committing to this process so that we can simplify and strengthen the law with regards to both human rights and anti-discrimination action.
Nicholas Eden
MP for Vauxhall (1974/1 - Present)
Labour