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Summary UK Rights in Historical and Political Context
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The most prominent UK legislation in relation to Rights, through the form of Acts and Bills, from the Magna Carta to present day.
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Rights in ContextWhat are Rights?
Legally protected freedoms that everyone should have in a democracy.
They are absolute, universal, fundamental and demand non-interference by the government.
Examples include fair and equal treatment by the law, freedom of expression, freedom of
conscience, political freedom, freedom of movement, freedom to join a trade union, right to life
Rights in the UK
Magna Carta (1215)
Nobles restricted the power of King John and established the right to trial by jury. The ‘Great Charter’
was a series of written promises between the king and his subjects. The king agrees to govern England
and deal with its people according to the customs of feudal law. It was an attempt by the land-owning
barons to stop the king from abusing his people. It can be seen as the first example of an attempt to
protect the people from being caused suffering- a forerunner to the idea of human rights.
Bill of Rights (1689)
Restricted power of the monarch and increased the power of parliament. Parliament became fixed
which, from this point on, became the dominant force in UK Politics.
The European Convention on Human Rights (1950)
Created the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which people could appeal to if they felt that their
rights were being infringed on. The Court’s task is to ensure that States respect the rights and
guarantees set out in the Convention. It does this by examining complaints (known as “applications”)
logged by individuals or, sometimes, by States. It was established as a reaction to the horrors of WW2
and echoed the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights.
The Human Rights Act (1998)
Set up by Blair’s government and aimed to codify human rights in the UK, though is simply an act of
parliament and can be repealed, as the conservative government elected in 2019 under Boris Johnson
pledged to do in their manifesto. Came into effect in 2000 and incorporated the European Convention
on Human Rights (ECHR) into UK law. For the first time, a legal documentation of UK citizens’ rights was
enshrined in law, giving judges an opportunity to check that government laws are compatible with the
act. The main function was to make explicit in law rights which, in effect, already existed. UK citizens’
access to the European Court of Human Rights was therefore strengthened. The act includes rights such
as the right to life, freedom from torture, right to a fair trial, freedom of thought and expression, right to
marry, and right to privacy and a family life.
Freedom of Information Act (2000)
Established in law the public ‘right to know’ and made government more open and therefore
accountable in its decision-making.
The Equality Act (2010)
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