The Government announced in early September 2022 that it was withdrawing the Rights Removal Bill, otherwise known as the Bill of Rights Bill. This Bill would have repealed the Human Rights Act and taken away essential protections that so many people rely on.
Although that Bill has now gone, it’s clear from Liz Truss’s leadership campaign the threat to our human rights has not disappeared. We did a briefing for the second reading of that Bill, which explains the attacks that are likely to return in one shape or another.
We know that these rights are important to people’s lives, and continue to work with our members to build support for a positive vision of human rights, whoever is in government.
We will be ready if the Government tries to remove protections through other changes to the law or policy.
Our current work programme is focused on the Government’s plans for ‘levelling up’ (or the policy agenda that will replace levelling up), which the former prime minister described as ‘overturning inequalities.’
EU funding has made a huge difference to those experiencing inequality and discrimination in the UK. The Government is proposing to replace these funding streams with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). This is an opportunity to create a simpler, more accessible fund, that carries on the vital work of embedding equality and tackling discrimination. This can only be achieved if the new fund is equal by design.
We are also members of the Structural Inequalities Alliance. The Alliance brings business, academia and charities together to advocate for a programme of renewal to tackle inequality and rebuild both our society and our economy.
Although we have left the European Union, EU legislation continues to play a major part in upholding our human rights. We are continuing to lobby around post-Brexit-related legislation, including secondary legislation and trade agreements, to protect our equality and human rights laws and institutions.
Our policy priorities after Brexit are to:
To find out more about our work on the Human Rights Act and structural inequality, contact our Head of Policy, Tansy Hutchinson, at tansy.hutchinson@equallyours.org.uk.
For more on rights after Brexit, get in touch with our Parliamentary and Policy Advisor, Liz Shannon, at liz.shannon@equallyours.org.uk.
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