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The Human Rights Act and Anti-Terrorism in the Uk: One Great Leap Forward by Parliament, but Are the Courts Able to Slow the Steady Retreat That Has Followed?

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Public Law
2010
The Human Rights Act and anti-terrorism in the UK: one great leap forward by Parliament, but are the courts able to slow the steady retreat that has followed?
David McKeever Subject: Human rights. Other related subjects: Administrative law. Criminal law
Keywords: Administrative law; Freedom of expression; Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Terrorism; Torture
Legislation: Human Rights Act 1998 Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 Terrorism Act 2006 Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Terrorism Act 2000
European Convention on Human Rights 1950 art.3, art.10
Cases: A v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2005] UKHL 71; [2006] 2 A.C. 221 (HL) A v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2004] UKHL 56; …show more content…

112 protected domestically under the HRA (as listed in Schedule 1 to that Act), are not identical.7
It is important to keep these initial goals in mind when assessing recent anti-terrorism legislation.
Impact of the Human Rights Act
In terms of substantive law, the HRA has had a significant impact in many areas of English law. One of the more obvious,8 and controversial,9 examples is the law relating to privacy. However the impact of the HRA has not been limited to privacy, criminal law, and immigration/asylum. The Act is being increasingly invoked in commercial litigation, and was recently relied on by Northern Rock shareholders seeking to challenge the Government's 2008 compensation scheme.10
Also significant is that the HRA has, in practice, a measure of ‘horizontal effect’. Section 6(1) of the Act makes it unlawful for Courts (as public authorities)11 to act in a manner incompatible with Convention rights, and UK courts are thus obliged to have regard to Convention rights even where these arise in private disputes.12
In addition, whatever the situation regarding recent anti-terrorism legislation,13 it is generally true that questions of human rights are now considered in a more systematic manner, and at an earlier stage of the legislative process, than was the case before 1998.14
*P.L. 113 In light of the foregoing, it is incorrect to describe the “continuing futility” of the HRA,15 and is not mere hyperbole to describe the

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