The British Bill of Rights Show: Series 14, Episode 9… *Zzzzzzz*

19 May 2016 by Adam Wagner

Gove bends the knee

It came and went, and we know nothing more. Yesterday, =the government said, through the Queen, that:

Proposals will be brought forward for a British Bill of Rights. My government will bring forward proposals for a British Bill of Rights. My ministers will uphold the sovereignty of Parliament and the primacy of the House of Commons.

All of the signals were pointing to no activity before the EU Referendum, and that was proved right.

It makes sense. We don’t even know if Michael Gove will still be in post after the referendum, and if we are leaving the EU we may want to fold bigger constitutional questions into the bill of rights debate anyway.

So, like a particularly boring 18-season box-set, the saga continues. But if the government continues to delay, at least each new episode brings forth some interesting reactions and coverage, and here is some of it:

• This is by me: 4 Charts Which Show The European Court Of Human Rights Has Dramatically Changed Its Approach To The UK (RightsInfo)
• What Did The Queen’s Speech Tell Us About The Bill Of Rights? (RightsInfo)
• Lockerbie relatives, football supporters and domestic violence survivors among more than 100 groups standing together against Human Rights Act repeal (Liberty)
• Why Michael Gove should drop his Bill of Rights plans (Head of Legal/Carl Gardner)
• The 2016 Queen’s Speech and the Constitution (Public Law For Everyone)

See you next series. Or episode. Or something.