Government presses ahead with plans to redefine UK's relationship with the European Court of Human Rights
The Conservative Party is pressing ahead with its plans to scrap the Human Rights Act 1998 after securing a narrow parliamentary majority at the general election last week.
Former Education Secretary, Michael Gove, has been appointed to oversee the process in his new role as Justice Secretary.
Under the plans, which were included in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto, a new Bill of Rights will be introduced to “restore sovereignty to Westminster" by giving UK courts and Parliament the "final say" on whether judgments from Strasbourg are adopted. Britain’s courts will no longer be required to take rulings from the ECHR into account, with its judgments being treated as "advisory" rather than binding.
It is claimed the changes will enable the Tory Government to limit human rights to only the “most serious cases”, deport more “terrorists and serious foreign criminals” and defy policies such as the ECHR’s requirement that some prisoners be given a vote.
Andrea Williams of Christian Concern said:
“This is a concerning development. Our national courts have seriously let down the Christian community and do not have a track record of recognising and respecting Christian faith. The European Court of Human Rights has shown a better understanding of Christian belief and a greater commitment to protecting Christian freedoms than we have seen in the UK courts in recent years.
"The European Court's judgment in the cases of Shirley Chaplin, Gary McFarlane and others have already had a positive effect in the UK in tackling the crippling approach to Christian freedoms adopted by our domestic courts over the past decade. The track record of the ECHR is mixed and reform is probably needed but without its recent decisions, Christians, as well as many others, would enjoy fewer protections than they do today.
“It is proposed that a new Bill of Rights will replace current human rights legislation. However, what will this legislation mean for Christians and what will be the philosophy behind this new law? The idea that human beings have dignity and inherent worth and value is grounded in the Biblical idea that we are all made in the image of God. It is the Christian understanding of human dignity that formed the basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“The flawed philosophy behind the post-modern understanding of human dignity is founded on secular humanist principles. However, it is a myth that secularism is neutral. Only a Biblical view of human dignity – and therefore human rights - can help maintain true tolerance and uphold the dignity of every individual.”
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