Bill would allow UK to ignore rulings from European Court of Human Rights

• Published date: 23 June 2022
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

Justice secretary Dominic Raab said Britain would remain a state party to the convention on human rights but wanted to deal with what he described as its elastic interpretation and expansion

"We have seen the goalposts on human rights shift over time through expanded judicial interpretations, licensed by the Human Rights Act, which has tended to magnify overweening rulings from Strasbourg, although it is worth noting in fairness that there has been more judicial restraint in Strasbourg on occasion in recent times. Nevertheless, what ebbs may flow, and we will ensure in our Bill of Rights that any expansion of human rights law - as opposed to its interpretation - is subject to proper democratic oversight by elected members in this House," he told MPs.

"We will be crystal clear that when it comes to the laws of the land, and the legitimate, necessary and constructive dialogue we have with Strasbourg, it is parliament that has the last word."

Alliance MP Stephen Farry reminded Mr Raab that ECHR rights, which have nothing to do with the European Union, are written into the Belfast Agreement and underpin judicial co-operation between Britain and other European countries.

"I do not think the justice secretary has fully thought through the implications for mutual extradition arrangements across Europe, including those under the trade and...