An independent Commission to investigate the case for a UK Bill of Rights was launched by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke on 18 March 2011.
The Commission, to be headed by former Permanent Secretary, Sir Leigh Lewis, fulfils a pledge set out in the Coalition Agreement.
In addition to the Chairman, the Commission will include eight human rights experts appointed jointly by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.
The Commission members are:
- Martin Howe QC
- Anthony Lester QC
- Jonathan Fisher QC
- Helena Kennedy QC
- Anthony Speaight QC
- Phillippe Sands QC
- Michael Pinto-Duschinsky
- Sir David Edward
Click here for Ministry of Justice press release
Click here for Written Minsterial Statement
The Equality and Diversity Forum and other oganisations issued responses to the announcement:
Click here for Equality and Diversity Forum response
Click here for response from the British Institute of Human Rights
Click here for response from the Children’s Rights Alliance for England
Click here for response from the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Click here for response from JUSTICE
Click here for response from Liberty
Click here for response from Unlock Democracy
PDF version
The Guardian reports on the formation of the Bill of Rights Commission, noting the membership of Michael Pinto-Duschinsky who argued in Policy Exchange's report Bringing Rights Back Home that the ECHR had "virtually no democratic legitimacy".
"One of them, Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, a Brunel University politics research fellow, argued in a Policy Exchange pamphlet that Britain should cut its ties with the Strasbourg-based court, as it has "virtually no democratic legitimacy"."
See the full article on The Guardian's website
Read the report Bringing Rights Back Home
http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/news/news.cgi?id=1936