On whether or not to repeal; a briefing on the debate surrounding the Human Rights Act and a UK Bill of Rights

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[First Published on Tuesday 4th October 2011]

This archive item is a window onto issues as they appeared at the time. It contains facts and opinions which may have been superseded by subsequent events.

This week, as senior politicians from both sides of the coalition express differences of opinion regarding the future of the 1998 Human Rights Act and the prospect of a new UK Bill of Rights, we present some of the best recent writing on the issue as well as some useful background information.

The Human Rights Act 1998

The legislation itself – Legislation.gov.uk

How it works – liberty-human-rights.org.uk

The Commission on a UK Bill of Rights

How it was established – ukhumanrightsblog.com

Who its members are – Justice.gov.uk

The Commission’s discussion paper, ‘Do we need a Bill of Rights? Justice.gov.uk’

A critical analysis of its composition – ukconstitutionallaw.org.uk

A thorough analysis of its terms of reference and its options – ukconstitutionallaw.org

Michael Pinto-Duschinsky’s pamphlet on a possible way forward for a UK bill of rights – policyexchange.org.uk

A critical analysis of the Pinto-Duschinsky pamphlet – ukscblog.com

In Summary

An argument in favor of repealing the HRA – conservativehome.blogs.com

An argument against repeal – guardian.co.uk

Where the debate stands at the moment – ukscblog.com

This publication presents the personal views of the author and not those of The Constitution Society, which publishes it as a contribution to debate on this important subject.