European Convention on Human Rights: UK Obligations

This Government are fully committed to meeting our legal obligations. The rule of law is the bedrock of our parliamentary democracy. Not only does it underpin our legal and judicial systems; it provides the basis for the global success of our legal services sector.

I thank the Solicitor General for her answer. In the light of the Supreme Court’s judgment defining sex in the Equality Act 2010 as strictly biological, and public comments from the Equality and Human Rights Commission suggesting trans individuals may not be entitled to privacy protections under article 8, what steps are the Solicitor General and her office taking to ensure that domestic law remains fully aligned with the UK’s obligations under the European convention on human rights, particularly articles 3, 8 and 14? Do the Government intend to clarify or consolidate domestic equality law and the ECHR obligations, to avoid growing legal divergence?

As to the steps that the Law Officers are taking, I am afraid that I have to refer to the Law Officers’ convention. With regard to the hon. Member’s wider point and the Supreme Court’s ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Government have been very clear that we will continue to support single-sex spaces, while also affirming the important rights that trans people have and continue to have under the Equality Act.

I want to ask about our compliance with article 14 with regard to the fast-track justice system. My constituent, a woman with schizophrenia, has been convicted of not paying her TV licence during mental health difficulties sparked by her mum’s mental illness. Will the Solicitor General meet me to discuss the single justice procedure and the way it is used in cases such as that?

I will indeed meet my hon. Friend to discuss that issue. I believe that the Ministry of Justice has recently consulted on the single justice procedure, and I am more than happy to discuss it with him.