ABSTRACT

When the Human Rights Act (HRA) came into force in 2000, the aspiration of Parliament was that the Act would bring about ‘a fundamental transformation of the relationship between individuals and the state, a shift towards “a culture of human rights” ’. 1 A decade later, the HRA is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented pieces of legislation in the UK – criticized by the media and problematized by political leaders, including those who had ushered it in. 2 Even as its tenth birthday is being celebrated, the future of the HRA hangs in the balance in light of the government’s proposal to set up a commission to develop a British Bill of Rights. 3