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Chapter SPM241400

Document Cited authorities 2 Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date15 April 2016
Record NumberSPM241400
CourtHM Revenue & Customs
European Convention on Human Rights

The European Convention was drafted after the Second World War to protect the rights and freedoms of the people of Europe. The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to sign up to the Convention in 1953. Today most European countries have signed up to the Convention, and these countries make up the Council of Europe. The Council is a separate organisation to the European Union.

The Convention is divided into “articles” and over the years has been supplemented by protocols agreed by the Council of Europe. Some of the protocols deal with procedural issues, but some guarantee further rights in addition to those in the Convention. The UK has signed up to some but not all the protocols.

The European Court of Human Rights is the international court set up to interpret and apply the Convention. It is based in Strasbourg, France.

Human Rights Act 1998

Since 1966, individuals have had the right to bring cases against the British Government in the European Court of Human Rights. However, this can be a lengthy and costly process. To address these practical difficulties and to allow individuals to get redress for breaches of the Convention in the British courts, the Government passed the Human Rights Act 1998 which came into force on 2 October 2000.

The Human Rights Act gives individuals the right to take proceedings in the domestic courts if they think their convention rights have...

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