Bill of Rights

Viscount Waverley Excerpts

Thursday 23rd June 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bellamy (Con)]

My noble friend is quite right that the rights in this country go back many years. I will not, as a cliché, invoke Magna Carta, but it is perfectly plain that this country has a long and proud history of freedoms—they were not called human rights then—over very many years. When the Human Rights Act 1998 was introduced, the Government of the day described it as bringing rights home. I agree with my noble friend that they never actually left in the first place.

[Viscount Waverley (CB)]

My Lords, freedom of speech is to be a central pillar of the UK Bill of Rights. Article 8 has been referred to on multiple occasions this afternoon. Is it anticipated by the Government, in light of this statement on the protection of sources, that the case of Mr Assange could indeed centre around that right under a future UK Bill of Rights?

[Lord Bellamy (Con)]

I will resist the temptation to refer to a pending case. I hope noble Lords can forgive me.