Human Rights Act is vital and Tories' so-called Bill of Rights is an attempt by UK Government to make itself untouchable and erode devolution – Christina McKelvie MSP

The Human Rights Act helped campaigners for justice following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster discover the truth of what happened (Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Every week I work with people in my constituency whose stories underline the need for strong human rights laws.

What my constituents want, and what they deserve, are laws and policies that deliver fairness and justice, for themselves, their loved ones and for society as a whole.

The UK Human Rights Act is one of the vital pieces of legislation that performs exactly that role – by ensuring that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.

It has facilitated everything from action on women’s equality to the protection of free speech and the right to protest. It has assisted the families of service personnel to obtain justice when their rights were breached, helped secure equality for LGBTI people, and supported families to challenge unfair welfare policies such as the bedroom tax.

As such, it is a source of profound concern that the UK Government intends to replace the Human Rights Act with a so-called Bill of Rights.

The Human Rights Act has proven to be highly effective, protecting our most fundamental rights and freedoms for more than two decades.

Consider the long fight for justice by the relatives of those caught up in the Hillsborough tragedy. The truth was only told because they were able to use the Human Rights Act to challenge the interminable obstruction and callous indifference of powerful public institutions.

Yet that is what the UK Government’s Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, objected to in this newspaper when he spoke about removing “human rights obligations” and giving public bodies greater discretion on how they implement human rights.