‘The United Kingdom​ might soon have its first bill of rights since the English Bill of Rights of 1688. On 14 December last year, the government published the much anticipated Independent Human Rights Act Review (IHRAR), which sets out the conclusions of a ten-month inquiry by an independent panel of experts into the operation of the Human Rights Act 1998. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice issued a consultation document, “Human Rights Act Reform: A Modern Bill of Rights”, the proposals of which bear no resemblance to the recommendations of the IHRAR (the consultation period ended on 8 March). Influenced, it seems, by Dominic Raab’s appointment as secretary of state for justice in the September reshuffle, the Ministry of Justice consultation document sets out a proposal that it describes, accurately, as “far-reaching”. By my count, 21 of the 29 questions it poses are not considered in the IHRAR. The whole document is founded on the decision to “replace” the Human Rights Act with a bill of rights, something not considered by the IHRAR panel (which noted in passing that it detected no depth of support for one).’

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London Review of Books, 24th March 2022

Source: www.lrb.co.uk