Human Rights Act

UK act of Parliament of 1998 that gave further provision to rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights. It came into force in November 2000. The enactment of a UK Code of Rights incorporated the European Convention into domestic law, enabling people to secure decisions on their human rights from British courts in addition to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Prior to 1998 Britain had been virtually alone among the major Western European nations in having no direct means for its citizens to claim European Convention rights through the national courts.

The incorporation of the European Convention rights into British law aimed to increase judges' powers to protect the individual against the abuse of power by the state. Prior to the 1998 act, British courts could only take the European Convention into account in certain limited circumstances. However, when any breach of the European Convention was found by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, British courts were bound to amend laws and procedures to make good the breach and to prevent a recurrence.