Conservatives pledge powers to ignore European court of human rights rulings

Chris Grayling, the United Kingdom Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice launched on the 3 October 2014 a UK Conservative Party plan for reform of human rights law.

My Grayling said that a new Conservative Government if elected in 2015 could take the United Kingdom out of the European Court of Human Rights unless it secured Council of Europe agreement that the UK Parliament had the final say over its rulings.

The Convention is the centrepiece of the 47-member Council of Europe, Europe's main watchdog for human rights and democracy, which was set up in the aftermath of World War II, with substantial UK input.

Nick Clegg, the leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats, said on 5 October 2014 that they would refuse to form another coalition with Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party if it insisted on pulling the country out of the European Court of Human Rights.

BBC News, 03.10.14: European human rights rulings 'to be curbed' by Tories http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29466113

Conservative Home, 03.10.14: Chris Grayling MP: Our plan to protect human rights – while making the European Court advisory only http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2014/10/chris-grayling-mp-our-plan-to-protect-human-rights-while-making-the-european-court-advisory-only.html

ESO: Background information: Tories plan human rights challenge http://www.europeansources.info/record/tories-plan-human-rights-challenge/

Conservative Home, 03.10.14: Grayling takes the Conservatives to the brink of ECHR exit – a giant step away from Europe http://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2014/10/a-giant-step-away-from-europe-as-grayling-takes-the-conservatives-to-the-echr-exit-door.html

The Guardian, 01.10.14: Cameron’s pledge to scrap Human Rights Act angers civil rights groups http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/01/cameron-pledge-scrap-human-rights-act-civil-rights-groups

Blog: Open Europe, 03.10.14: What would a British withdrawal from the ECHR mean for its EU membership? http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/what-would-british-withdrawal-from-echr.html

BBC News, 03.10.14: The Conservatives' battle with Strasbourg over human rights http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29476677

Blog: EU Law Analysis, 03.10.14: Roadkill: the EU Charter of Rights after the Conservative party’s changes to UK human rights law http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/roadkill-eu-charter-of-rights-after.html

Blog: Euro Rights Blog, 02.10.14: Euro Rights Blog: UK’s dirty laundry still spinning at Strasbourg http://eurorights.net/euro-rights-blog-uks-dirty-laundry-still-spinning-at-strasbourg/

Conservative Party: Protecting Human Rights in the UK. The Conservatives' proposals for changing Britain's human rights laws, 2014 http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1308198-protecting-human-rights-in-the-uk.html#document/p1

The Telegraph, 03.10.14: Tory plan to leave ECHR contains 'howlers' and is 'factually inaccurate', says party's ex-Attorney General http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/11137442/Tory-plan-to-leave-ECHR-contains-howlers-and-is-factually-inaccurate-says-partys-ex-Attorney-General.html

Conservative Home: Tag: European Court of Human Rights http://www.conservativehome.com/tag/european-court-of-human-rights

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 04.10.14: How would the UK seek to replace its Human Rights Act? http://bit.ly/1rSydAv

UKIP: Press Release, 03.10.14: Let’s get it straight on Human Rights http://www.ukip.org/let_s_get_it_straight_on_human_rights

EurActiv, 06.10.14: Lib Dems set coalition boundaries ahead of 2015 vote http://www.euractiv.com/sections/uk-europe/lib-dems-set-coalition-boundaries-ahead-2015-vote-308930

The Conversation, 04.10.14: Human rights plan will please eurosceptics but what’s in it for the rest of us? https://theconversation.com/human-rights-plan-will-please-eurosceptics-but-whats-in-it-for-the-rest-of-us-32519

EUObserver, 06.10.14: UK faces 'nuclear option' if it scraps European rights charter http://euobserver.com/justice/125910

openDemocracy: OurKingdom, 03.11.14: Human rights — at the government’s discretion https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/frances-webber/human-rights-%E2%80%94-at-government%E2%80%99s-discretion

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