PM ‘orders review’ of Gove’s British Bill of Rights

THERESA MAY has ordered a review of plans for a new British Bill of Rights in the wake of the vote to leave the European Union, sources have claimed.

Whitehall officials say that the Prime Minister has asked Liz Truss, the Justice Secretary, to rethink the pledge, which was in the Conservative manifesto.

Mrs May is understood to be concerned about the proposals as they stand, particularly a concession agreed by the previous government that Britain would remain signed up to the European Court of Human Rights.

However, sources last night denied claims that the Bill of Rights has been “junked” and said the Justice department would “set out our proposals in due course”.

Any delay to the proposals will anger Conservative MPs who have long campaigned for the Bill of Rights.

David Cameron’s government said that the British Bill of Rights would replace the controversial Human Rights Act, which has led to UK authorities being unable to deport some criminals and suspected terrorists.

The details of the Bill of Rights were drawn up by Michael Gove, the former justice secretary, who was sacked as part of Mrs May’s reshuffle.

Mrs May’s allies have previously warned that a British Bill of Rights would be pointless if the UK is still signed up to the ECHR.

Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire, warned Mrs May not to abandon plans to scrap the Human Rights Act.

He said: “I am not bothered about a British Bill of Rights, but the one thing she must do is scrap the Human Rights Act. If she ditched [plans to scrap the HRA], it would be a complete and utter betrayal of millions of people who voted Conservative at the last election.

“Many of them voted Conservative because we promised to get rid of the Human Rights Act.”

He added: “As [the former] home secretary, she should know better than anybody the damage that the Human Rights Act does. It would be completely and utterly unacceptable to abandon this policy.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “We will set out our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course.

“We will consult fully on our proposals.”