The UK played an instrumental role in the drafting and promotion of the European Convention on Human Rights. The rights it set out were made directly enforceable in the UK by the 1998 Human Rights Act (HRA). After 20 years of the act being in force, the Government established the Independent HRA review panel in December 2020 to assess how it works in practice, consider the relationship between domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights, and examine the impact of the HRA on the UK’s constitutional balance.
The Independent Review Panel submitted its report to the Deputy Prime Minister in October 2021. The Government has subsequently set out its proposals for HRA reform, and launched a public consultation.
In this online event co-hosted by the UCL European Institute and the UCL Faculty of Laws, the Chair of the Independent Human Rights Act Review, Sir Peter Gross, will speak to the review process, options for reform and the recommendations it identified. Chaired by Lord Anderson of Ipswich, this will be a unique opportunity to hear first-hand about the operation and future of an act that is a key part of the UK’s legal landscape.
The Rt Hon Sir Peter Gross - Speaker
Sir Peter (QC1992) has enjoyed an eminent legal career spanning over 40 years; he is with Twenty Essex as a full-time arbitrator since 2019. Among many roles, Sir Peter was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2010, becoming Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales (2013-15), and Lead Judge for International Relations in January 2018. Sir Peter was appointed a Judicial Commissioner of IPCO in May 2021 and is Treasurer of Gray’s Inn for 2022. In December 2020, Sir Peter was appointed by the Lord Chancellor to chair the Independent Human Rights Act Review (IHRAR), which reported in December 2021.
Lord Anderson of Ipswich KBE QC - Chair
Lord Anderson is a practising barrister at Brick Court Chambers (QC 1999) with some 200 appearances in the EU courts and European Court of Human Rights. He served as a Council of Europe human rights monitor, chairs the international conflict resolution charity Inter-Mediate, and sits in Guernsey and Jersey as a Justice of Appeal. David served as the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation (2011-17), and in 2018 was knighted for services to national security and civil liberties, and appointed to the House of Lords where he sits as a cross-bench peer.
He also chairs the UCL European Institute Advisory Board.
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