This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/jun/15/david-cameron-british-bill-of-rights-safeguard-legacy-magna-carta
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| David Cameron: British bill of rights will 'safeguard legacy' of Magna Carta | David Cameron: British bill of rights will 'safeguard legacy' of Magna Carta |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Conservative commitment to break the link between the British courts and the European court of human rights (ECHR) by scrapping the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a British bill of rights will safeguard the legacy of Magna Carta, David Cameron will say on Monday at a ceremony celebrating the 800th anniversary of the signing of the charter. | The Conservative commitment to break the link between the British courts and the European court of human rights (ECHR) by scrapping the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a British bill of rights will safeguard the legacy of Magna Carta, David Cameron will say on Monday at a ceremony celebrating the 800th anniversary of the signing of the charter. |
| In a speech at Runnymede Green where King John signed the charter, Cameron will heap praise on the influence of Magna Carta worldwide in spreading freedom and the rule of law, and say every Briton should be proud of its influence. But he will stray into controversy by saying that “the good name of human rights has sometimes become distorted and devalued”. | In a speech at Runnymede Green where King John signed the charter, Cameron will heap praise on the influence of Magna Carta worldwide in spreading freedom and the rule of law, and say every Briton should be proud of its influence. But he will stray into controversy by saying that “the good name of human rights has sometimes become distorted and devalued”. |
| Related: PM has a cheek invoking a British bill of rights on Magna Carta anniversary | Related: PM has a cheek invoking a British bill of rights on Magna Carta anniversary |
| He will say: “For centuries, Magna Carta has been quoted to help promote human rights and alleviate suffering all around the world. But here in Britain ironically, the place where those ideas were first set out, the good name of human rights has sometimes been distorted and devalued. It falls to us in this generation to restore the reputation of those rights – and their critical underpinning of our legal system. It is our duty to safeguard the legacy, the idea, the momentous achievement of those barons. And there couldn’t be a better time to reaffirm that commitment than on an anniversary like this.” | He will say: “For centuries, Magna Carta has been quoted to help promote human rights and alleviate suffering all around the world. But here in Britain ironically, the place where those ideas were first set out, the good name of human rights has sometimes been distorted and devalued. It falls to us in this generation to restore the reputation of those rights – and their critical underpinning of our legal system. It is our duty to safeguard the legacy, the idea, the momentous achievement of those barons. And there couldn’t be a better time to reaffirm that commitment than on an anniversary like this.” |
| A succession of former lord chancellors, both Labour and Conservative, have urged Cameron not to break with the ECHR and some of them will be surprised by the prime minister’s view that reducing the ECHR’s role is in line with the barons’ determination to limit the influence of King John and assert their rights. | A succession of former lord chancellors, both Labour and Conservative, have urged Cameron not to break with the ECHR and some of them will be surprised by the prime minister’s view that reducing the ECHR’s role is in line with the barons’ determination to limit the influence of King John and assert their rights. |
| Related: The Guardian view on Magna Carta: the magic of myth | Editorial | Related: The Guardian view on Magna Carta: the magic of myth | Editorial |
| The legal and political difficulties in reducing the ECHR’s influence in UK courts without necessarily leaving the body altogether has prompted the current lord chancellor, Michael Gove, to spend time working out how best to secure the Conservative party purpose set out in the manifesto | The legal and political difficulties in reducing the ECHR’s influence in UK courts without necessarily leaving the body altogether has prompted the current lord chancellor, Michael Gove, to spend time working out how best to secure the Conservative party purpose set out in the manifesto |
| Cameron will say that the world was changed for ever when King John put his seal to Magna Carta. “The limits of executive power, guaranteed access to justice, the belief that there should be something called the rule of law, that there shouldn’t be imprisonment without trial – Magna Carta introduced the idea that we should write these things down and live by them. | Cameron will say that the world was changed for ever when King John put his seal to Magna Carta. “The limits of executive power, guaranteed access to justice, the belief that there should be something called the rule of law, that there shouldn’t be imprisonment without trial – Magna Carta introduced the idea that we should write these things down and live by them. |
| “That might sound like a small thing to us today. But back then, it was revolutionary, altering forever the balance of power between the governed and the government.” | “That might sound like a small thing to us today. But back then, it was revolutionary, altering forever the balance of power between the governed and the government.” |
| Related: We need a Magna Carta for the globalised world | Letters | |
| His remarks come as Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative attorney general and critic of government plans to reform the human rights act, urges the government to do more to help Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger who has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years’ imprisonment. | His remarks come as Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative attorney general and critic of government plans to reform the human rights act, urges the government to do more to help Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger who has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years’ imprisonment. |
| Speaking to Index on Censorship, Grieve said: “We clearly do have a capacity to influence the behaviour of other states. The Saudis’ attitude to freedom of expression and religion is very challenging. We do certainly accept that there are strategic benefits of partnership with the Saudis which means we’ve lived with this intolerance for a long time. Saudi Arabia is obviously of great strategic importance but that must not blind us to its human rights shortcomings.” | Speaking to Index on Censorship, Grieve said: “We clearly do have a capacity to influence the behaviour of other states. The Saudis’ attitude to freedom of expression and religion is very challenging. We do certainly accept that there are strategic benefits of partnership with the Saudis which means we’ve lived with this intolerance for a long time. Saudi Arabia is obviously of great strategic importance but that must not blind us to its human rights shortcomings.” |
| He said: “People see freedom of speech as a benchmark of British values.” | He said: “People see freedom of speech as a benchmark of British values.” |