Human rights are rights that are inherent to all human beings. They cover a whole range of social, cultural and economic circumstances. We are all equally entitled to these rights without discrimination.

I am delighted to support the SCVO campaign, The Right Approach, which is calling for a human rights based approach for the third sector.

You can learn more about the campaign here: http://www.scvo.org.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/the-right-approach-resource-bank/

I also believe that Conservative plans to repeal the Human Rights Act would severely weaken the rights of British citizens. I believe that withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), from which the Human Rights Act was drawn, would be a shameful abandonment of Britain’s historic respect for the rule of law and weakens our moral authority to demand change from those with weaker human rights records.

I support the Human Rights Act as it protects basic rights such as the right to be free from torture, the right to free speech, the right to a fair trial, the right to protest and freedom of association. It also includes responsibilities as well as rights, it maintains Parliamentary sovereignty and remains a crucial check against unaccountable state power.•