Human Rights Act 1998

The statute incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into British law

Overview

The Human Rights Act made Convention rights enforceable in British courts without a trip to Strasbourg, requiring legislation to be read compatibly where possible and courts to declare incompatibility where not, leaving Parliament free to respond. It reshaped public law, from privacy to fair trial, and the declaration mechanism became its signature compromise between rights protection and parliamentary sovereignty. Its future and reform remain standing subjects of British constitutional debate. Section 3 compatible interpretation has reached deep into statutes, from immigration to mental health law.