Irish government would oppose repeal of Human Rights Act in North

The Irish Government will oppose any talks to repeal the Human Rights Act, with theBelfast Agreement explicitly committing Westminster to incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into Northern Ireland law.

Home secretary Theresa May, who will be the next British prime minister, previously said the UK should withdraw from the ECHR, but backtracked last month as she launched her leadership bid.

A senior official of the Irish Government said that if the next British government proceeded to seek to repeal the Act, “the Irish Government would have a very strong view about that”.

Last year, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald wrote to her British counterpart, Michael Gove, following his statements about repealing the Human Rights Act.

It was requested that the British government take account of theBelfast Agreement and of the Government’s view in advance of any public consultation about repealing the Act.

The Belfast Agreement stated that the ECHR must be incorporated into the law of Northern Ireland and “while a domestic Bill of rights could complement incorporation, it could not replace it”.

According to the Government, repealing the Human Rights Act in Northern Ireland would make the agreement redundant.

Ms Fitzgerald expressed how the human rights framework of the ECHR has been essential for peace within Northern Ireland.