Nigel Farage says he wants to replace the UK Human Rights Act with a so-called “British Bill of Rights.”
But let’s be clear: this is not about protecting freedoms. It’s about removing them.
The Human Rights Act brings into UK law the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty drafted after the Second World War with strong UK backing, led by Winston Churchill, and based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights. It exists to stop governments abusing their citizens.
Farage’s plan would:
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Cut the link to international oversight in Strasbourg
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Narrow rights, especially for migrants and asylum seekers, but also for anyone who might have the right to live in another country, however long they have lived here
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Give Parliament, not independent courts, control over rights
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Undermine the UK's peace agreements, the government of Northern Ireland, and international treaties
This is not about rights. It’s about power — the power to control, divide, and expel. It risks taking Britain down a path towards authoritarianism.