Thank you to all those who have contacted me about the Government’s Public Order Bill and its Bill of Rights.

I oppose both of these Bills. In my view, this Government seems more focussed on divisive, headline-grabbing policies rather than dealing with the people’s priorities such as the appallingly low charge rates for rapes and sexual offences, worrying levels of violent crime; the thousands of criminals going unpunished, and victims withdrawing from the investigation process because they do not believe they will see justice.

With regards to the Public Order Bill, I think the threshold for triggering the new offences contained within it is too low and casts the net too wide, risking criminalising legitimate, peaceful protests and non-criminal action. I also think the Bill will disproportionately interfere with human rights legislation and that there are not enough safeguards in place to mitigate the risk.

For these reasons I have voted against the Public Order Bill at every opportunity, most recently at the Bill’s Third Reading in the House of Commons on 18th October 2022. Sadly, attempts to amend the new powers in the Bill have so far been unsuccessful. The Bill is currently being considered in the House of Lords where I hope such amendments will have more chance of success.

With regard to the Bill of Rights, I believe that the current Human Rights Act (HRA) works well and should not be replaced. I am proud that, in 1990, the then Government introduced the HRA, which brings important rights home, giving our most vulnerable citizens a powerful means of redress. It protects the powerless against the might of the strong and the dictates of the State. That is why I robustly defend the HRA, as well as Britain’s continued membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.

I note that despite the fact the Bill of Rights was published over six months ago, it has still not been a date set for its Second Reading. This indicates that even Ministers may recognise there are significant issues with their plans. I assure you that I will continue to follow any developments in this area very closely.

Thank you once again for contacting me about the importance of human rights.