‘It is now 25 years since the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) entered into force and far from this endurance cementing its legitimacy, the judicial protection of human rights in the UK finds itself in the perennial political spotlight. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is also never far from the headlines, not least in the context of the supposed ‘small boats crisis’ and the debate over immigration more generally. Legal academics and practitioners (with the exception of those working for high-profile think-tanks) who interject in this debate often struggle to be heard above the cacophony of the more salacious claims about abuses of human rights that are the fodder for the right-wing dominated British press. Human rights abuses are refashioned to abuse the protection of human rights. This can be deeply demoralising for defenders of the judicial protection human rights, among whom I count myself. However, rather, than wallowing in self-pity over the state of rights discourse in the UK, I believe that there is actually a glimmer of hope in this otherwise bleak debate.’
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UK Constitutional Law Association, 9th October 2025
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org