Stewart Dickson MLA said: “David Cameron is clearly buoyed by the slender majority that he has secured in Parliament, but I would urge him against making dangerous decisions such as the proposed removal of the Human Rights Act.
“Human rights are an essential part of modern democracies. They protect citizens from discrimination and oppression. They are too important to be playing politics with.
“I would be strongly opposed to the Prime Minister’s proposal. Alliance will continue to support the Human Rights Act and work to ensure that it is not removed.
“There could be particular issues for the United Kingdom as the SNP have already indicated their refusal to repeal the Human Rights Act in Scotland while there are specific issues regarding the lack of a Human Rights Act for the Good Friday Agreement.
“I would be very concerned by any attempt by David Cameron to draft his own version of a Bill of Rights, with the Conservatives picking and choosing what rights they deem important enough to matter.
“The removal of the Human Rights Act would send out the wrong message internationally as we campaign for other countries to improve their human rights record. How can we encourage these States to treat their citizens better if we were to remove certain rights of our own citizens? It would seriously damage our international reputation and could affect our relationships with other countries.”
ENDS