Human Rights Bills go against moral values, says Redditch Reverend - The Redditch Standard

Human Rights Bills go against moral values, says Redditch Reverend

Redditch Editorial 17th Jan, 2022   0

EMMANUEL United Reformed and Methodist Church Reverend, James Hamilton has hit out at several of the Government’s Human Rights Bills, contacting MP Rachel Maclean to address his concerns.

Rev James Hamilton believes the Nationality and Borders Bill, the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Judicial Review and Courts Bill, go against the moral values of the Christian faith.

In his letter to Mrs Maclean he said: “As Christians we strongly believe that as individuals, as a community and as nation we should comply with the moral obligations of being a welcoming passionate and caring community.

“These bills go against those beliefs, and also break some international laws which our country helped frame and subscribe to.”




As well as addressing his concerns, Rev Hamilton asked Mrs Maclean to convey their points to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Home Secretary, Priti Patel.

Rev Hamilton added he was concerned marginalised communities would be disproportionately affected by the legalisation, claiming the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill extended police powers used against black people and criminalises the way of life of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.


In response, Mrs Maclean said: “As a fellow Christian, Christian values guide my service to my constituents and to our country.

“While we may disagree on political stances, it is utterly wrong to characterise the Government’s policies or my support for them as not being underpinned by the moral values of the country we are proud to share.

In response to the reverend’s concerns about discrimination towards marginalised groups, Mrs Maclean said: “The vast majority of the travelling community are decent law-abiding people, and we must ensure that there are legal sites available for travellers.

“The Government has also given £200,000 to support projects working with Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities to tackle discrimination, improve integration, healthcare and education.

“More broadly, I am encouraged the Government is committed to protecting and respecting human rights, these reforms strike the right balance between restoring public confidence in the system and ensuring the system is not open to abuse.”

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