Humanists UK opposes Nigel Farage’s Human Rights Convention withdrawal bill

Humanists UK has condemned Reform leader Nigel Farage MP’s introduction of a private member’s bill (PMB) to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). 

Earlier this year, Reform announced that it would withdraw from the ECHR and several international human rights agreements if it wins the next election. Now Farage has introduced a PMB to show his intent. While the PMB has already been voted down by MPs, Humanists UK says that the move is dangerous and divisive because withdrawal would weaken vital human rights protections for everyone.

Farage’s Bill is the latest in a series of attacks on the ECHR. Ahead of Conservative Party Conference, Leader Kemi Badenoch similarly committed to withdrawing from the ECHR. Humanists UK is alarmed by these ongoing attacks amid a wider Labour consideration on how Article 3 (prohibition of torture) and Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) are interpreted in relation to asylum cases.

Why we need the ECHR

The ECHR is an agreement between countries that they will uphold the fundamental rights and freedoms of people. These include the rights to life, to a fair trial, to freedom of expression, and to freedom from torture. They also include freedom of religion or belief, which has guaranteed vital protections in law for humanists. These are not privileges. Human rights are the minimum standard by which we can be expected to live, and protect citizens against an overbearing state.

The ECHR is enforced by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where individuals from the UK can appeal when they believe their rights have been violated, and they have exhausted all other legal avenues at home. Over the years, people in the UK have used the Strasbourg court to challenge injustices and inequalities. Cases have led to the end of the ban on gay and bisexual people serving in the armed forces and to prevent teachers from hitting children. The Convention has been used to protect victims of domestic violence and of child abuse. In short, the ECHR has helped over decades to shape a fairer society of the sort that humanists strive for.

Since 1998, the  Human Rights Act (HRA) has brought the rights and freedoms of the ECHR into UK law. This means that individuals can defend their rights directly in UK courts, and public authorities must act in ways that respect those rights, without needing to take a costly and time-consuming case to Strasbourg. The Strasbourg court, however, remains an essential safety net for the British public to protect their rights, should they need it.

Why human rights are important to humanists

For humanists, the Human Rights Act has paved the way for legal recognition of humanist marriages in Scotland and Northern Ireland, for teaching about humanism alongside religions in schools in England and Wales, and to address unequal provision of care and support for non-religious patients across the UK. Repeal of the Human Rights Act would present a significant setback for secularism in the UK, as in many cases it would leave non-religious people without a legal mechanism for challenging discriminatory treatment or government bias in favour of religions.

Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented:

‘Human rights law is intended to protect ordinary people from abuses of state actors – that includes from the government, parliament, local authorities, courts, and the police, to name just a few. The ECHR and HRA make our rights a reality. We have to ask, what would happen to ordinary people if those protections were removed by the very people in power we are supposed to be protected from?

‘Human rights are universal because they recognise our shared humanity. We cannot normalise the idea that we are somehow better protected without them.’