EHRC support Brexit bill amendment to retain protections in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Ahead of tomorrow’s Committee Stage debate on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published our second in a series of briefings, covering the Charter of Fundamental Rights and inclusion of a Right to Equality.
In developing our positions and priorities, we have worked closely with stakeholders, including Liberty, Amnesty and the UK’s other statutory bodies for human rights and equality.
Our Committee Stage briefings cover our five-point approach to achieve the Government’s aim of non-regression on the equality and human rights framework. In this briefing, we focus on the following issues:
- Retain the protections in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (the Charter) (Clause 5 and Schedule 1);
The Commission supports Amendment 8 which would preserve the Charter as part of retained EU law (in so far as the Charter is covered by clause 4(1)) and ensuring people living in the UK continue to enjoy its protections. We also support Amendment 10, which edits Schedule 1 of the Bill regarding important remedies currently available in UK law, undoing the effect of paragraphs 2 and 3 of Schedule 1 ensuring these remedies remain available to people in the UK.
- Introduce a domestic right to equality (New Clause 78)
The Commission supports New Clause 78 which would replace the protection of equality rights in EU law with the UK’s own guarantee of fair and equal treatment, ensuring that the UK remains a global leader in equality rights.
