Cherilyn Mackrory, MP for Truro and Falmouth and Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Ministry of Justice has welcomed the introduction of the Bill of Rights to Parliament.
The Bill will ensure courts cannot interpret laws in ways that were never intended by Parliament and will empower people to express their views freely.
At the same time, it will help prevent trivial human rights claims from wasting judges’ time and taxpayer money. A permission stage in court will be introduced requiring people to show they have suffered a significant disadvantage before their claim can go ahead.
The Bill will also reinforce in law the principle that responsibilities to society are as important as personal rights. It will do this by ensuring courts consider a claimant’s relevant conduct, like a prisoner’s violent or criminal behaviour, when awarding damages.
The Bill will make clear that the UK Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial decision-maker on human rights issues and that the case law of the European Court of Human Rights does not always need to be followed by UK courts
Cherilyn said:
“The Bill of Rights is a crucial step in reforming our human rights framework to protect people’s fundamental rights while safeguarding the broader public interest and respecting the will of elected representatives in Parliament.
This Bill is a strong enhancement of free speech, ensures the views of elected lawmakers are be given greater weight in law, and empowers UK courts to apply human rights in a UK context.”
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab said:
“The Bill of Rights will strengthen our UK tradition of freedom whilst injecting a healthy dose of common sense into the system.
These reforms will reinforce freedom of speech, enable us to deport more foreign offenders and better protect the public from dangerous criminals.”