Perhaps predictably, TFN (Third force News) uses an image of the UK human rights legislation rather than an example of one of the more ambitious Scottish Government initiatives to promote human rights here.
They open with:
Top grades have been endowed upon the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) by the United Nations.
It is the fourth time the body has received the accreditation.
This award of A Status from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights recognises the SHRC’s independence, authority, and broad statutory mandate to promote and protect human rights. https://tfn.scot/news/scots-human-rights-group-gets-top-grades-yet-again
No credit is given to the Scottish Government nor to any ministers nor, of course, to SNP values and policies.
Why should there be?
The SNP has been in government since 2007. They have prioritized human rights. They have established initiatives like the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership (under Nicola Sturgeon), pursued a National Action Plan on Human Rights (SNAP), and worked toward a Human Rights Bill to incorporate more international standards into Scots law. https://www.gov.scot/publications/human-rights-bill-scotland-discussion-paper/
The UK Government has done nothing like this. Indeed the current UK Labour Government is travelling the other way. As early as February 2026, before recent dramatic events, Human Rights Watch, noted::
The Labour government in the UK, during its first full year in authority has carried out punitive immigration policies that have emboldened the far right, an authoritarian crackdown on protest rights, and a failure to adequately address an ongoing and worsening cost of living crisis, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
“What we witnessed in 2025 was a government backsliding on human rights at an alarming rate,” said Yasmine Ahmed, UK director at Human Rights Watch. “This government promised the rule of law would be central to its administration, but from restrictions on protest at home to its foreign policy on Gaza, it feels like human rights are quickly put on the chopping block if it proves politically expedient.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/02/04/uk-government-repeatedly-undermined-rights-in-2025
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Westminster doesn’t care a docken for Human Rights. I hear there’s a sale in London of stolen Palestinian land and the UK government does nothing about it. Breaching International Law and the Geneva Conventions is absolutely fine with Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper.
UK: Amnesty condemns ‘Great Israeli Real Estate Event’ promoting illegal settlement property sales in London | Amnesty International UK
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England hosting events promoting taking Palestinian land, I think 8m going to throw up. I watched a report yesterday about how there are thousands of ‘British soldiers’ who were or are in the IOF, and that given the war crimes being committed should be at least in court. It seems they are immune to even any sort of investigation. 😬
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In 2022, the Scottish Human Rights Commission was recognising achievements AND threats in relation to Scotland: ‘We consider the UK Government’s Bill of Rights Bill threatens to damage Scotland’s progress in developing a human rights culture, by undermining the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) protections available under the Human Rights Act and the Scotland Act, unsettling Scottish devolution and introducing confusion and uncertainty for Scotland’s public authorities ..’
Source: Scottish Human Rights Commission (December 8, 2022) Briefing note: Scottish Government Debate on International Human Rights Days (https://www.scottishhumanrights.com/media/2380/msp-briefing-for-human-rights-day-debate-december-2022-final.pdf )
On the positions taken by the SNP in government: ‘Work is now well underway in Scotland to incorporate into law the human rights contained in a number of other international human rights treaties, covering: economic, social, cultural and environmental rights, and stronger protections for the rights of women, disabled people, black and ethnic minority people, older persons and children.‘
‘Following detailed work by the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership and the Scottish National Taskforce on Human Rights Leadership, the Scottish Government has committed to introducing a Bill during this term of the Scottish Parliament, incorporating these rights into Scots law.
‘There has been considerable progress in the development of a human rights culture in Scotland. The Human Rights Act and the Scotland Act have together played a key role in that progress. It is critical that this progress is not undermined by proposals to reduce Convention rights protection, unsettling Scottish devolution and introducing confusion and uncertainty for Scotland’s public authorities.’
Bringing this up to date, with a Labour government in Westminster ‘fears’ appear to persist. From the SHRC (March 19, 2026) ‘UK NHRIs issue joint statement highlighting risks to everybody in the UK if ECHR freedoms and protections are weakened’.
‘The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC), the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) have come together to issue a joint statement reaffirming the importance of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act 1998 in protecting fundamental rights for every person across the United Kingdom.
‘The statement from the three independent National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) highlights the fundamental role of the ECHR in our everyday rights protections, including the right to life, freedom from torture, right to private and family life, and freedom of expression. Together, the NHRIs also explain the role of the Convention in underpinning constitutional arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland.’
“We urge the UK Government to commit to no reduction in rights protections. The principle of universality is fundamental to human rights: rights that can be removed from some people are no longer rights for everyone. The erosion of anyone’s rights puts us all at risk; it signals that these shared standards are not guaranteed and that any of our rights could be subject to debate.‘
How much of a bulwark against the dilution of human rights protection will Labour in government in Westminster prove to be? What’s your level of confidence in the LINO party?
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GREAT NEWSKEEP UP THE GREATACTIONSSent from my iPhoneOn 10 Jun 2026,
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