Civil society calls on Rishi Sunak to commit to keeping Human Rights Act

More than 150 groups urge PM to rule out once and for all its replacement with Dominic Raab's bill of rights

More than 150 civil society groups have written to Rishi Sunak urging him to commit to retaining the Human Rights Act and rule out its replacement by a British bill of rights.

The prime minister's position in regards the proposed legislation is in doubt but Dominic Raab, having been reappointed justice secretary, remains determined to push through his pet project, which was shelved under Liz Truss's premiership.

Fundamentally weaken the right to respect for private and family life.

Remove the legal duty on courts and public bodies to interpret other laws compatibly with human rights, exposing people to the arbitrary use of laws with no checks.

Limit access to justice by adding barriers to bringing a human rights case to court.

Destroy the positive obligation on public bodies to take proactive steps to protect people from harm, including protecting domestic and child abuse survivors.