ABSTRACT
The HRA 1998 is of immense constitutional significance. The Act provides further protection for the ECHR in UK law. Once it came fully into force in 2000, UK citizens had for the first time civil rights (in the sense of rights which may be claimed against public authorities) instead of civil liberties: instead of having residual freedoms, they have guarantees of rights. However, the likely impact of the reception of the Convention into domestic law is still unclear since the Act contains a number of complex, interesting and unusual features, which are determining and will determine its impact in practice.
