What have human rights ever done for us?

We all know the scare stories: due to spurious sob stories, terrorists can't be deported; prisoners get huge pay outs because of unsatisfactory service in prisons that are like five star hotels; and British troops are in the firing line not only of our enemies abroad but of fat cat lawyers desperate to pursue vexatious claims. Unfortunately, many Conservative MPs, either wilfully or otherwise, misrepresent or distort the real effect of human rights laws.

The Tories talk constantly about scrapping the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a “British Bill of Rights” – not because it would be better or different to what we have now, but just as a way of attempting to butter up exactly the sort of backbenchers who cling to these distortions. And if a certain former Home Secretary consistently failed to achieve her net migration targets, you can see why she might like to shift the blame on to the human rights implications of cat ownership.

It’s true that many high profile people – high profile for all the wrong reasons – have succeeded with court cases on human rights grounds. But that’s the thing about human rights: they apply to everyone, no matter who you are. Whether you are popular or unpopular, rich or poor and whatever your nationality, sexual orientation or personal beliefs.

Rodrigo Duterte says he 'doesn't give a s*** about human rights' as 3,500 killed in war on drugs

But the “worst” cases are not the yardstick by which we should measure the effect of human rights laws in the UK. For every Abu Hamza, there are many more Gary McKinnons – McKinnon is a UK citizen under threat of extradition to United States for computer hacking, and his extradition was rightly blocked by Theresa May on the grounds of mental illness.

Ask the families of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster whether the Human Rights Act is the friend or enemy of ordinary British people. Theirs was a long campaign of demanding to be heard and when they were eventually listened to it was the Human Rights Act that helped them to get new inquests into the deaths of their loved ones. The Human Rights Act has also assisted people like the family of Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement – a British soldier who took her own life in a barracks in Germany after alleging she was raped by colleagues. Human rights laws helped her family achieve a fresh investigation into her death.

As Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary I’m proud that back in 1998 it was a Labour Government that introduced the Human Rights Act. Before the Act it was not possible for people in the UK to challenge decisions of public authorities in UK courts on the grounds that their human rights had been breached. Individuals had to instead take their cases to the European Court of Human Rights. This meant people in the UK with justified complaints and sound cases spending thousands of pounds going to the European Court. That may well have been fine for those with plenty of money, but what about the majority of people who do not have such wealth?

Human rights attacks around the world Show all 10 1 /10 Human rights attacks around the world Human rights attacks around the world China Escalating crackdown against human rights activists including mass arrests of lawyers and a series of sweeping laws in the name of ‘national security’. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Egypt The arrest of thousands, including peaceful critics, in a ruthless crackdown in the name of national security, the prolonged detention of hundreds without charge or trial and the sentencing of hundreds of others to death. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Gambia Torture, enforced disappearances and the criminalisation of LGBTI people; and utter refusal to co-operate with the UN and regional human rights mechanisms on issues including freedom of expression, enforced disappearance and the death penalty. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Hungary Sealing off its borders to thousands of refugees in dire need; and obstructing collective regional attempts to help them. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Israel Maintaining its military blockade of Gaza and therefore collective punishment of the 1.8 million inhabitants there, as well as failing, like Palestine, to comply with a UN call to conduct credible investigations into war crimes committed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Kenya Extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and discrimination against refugees in its counter-terrorism operations; and attempts to undermine the International Criminal Court and its ability to pursue justice. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Pakistan The severe human rights failings of its response to the horrific Peshawar school massacre including its relentless use of the death penalty; and its policy on international NGOs giving authorities the power to monitor them and close them down if they are considered to be “against the interests” of the country. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Russia Repressive use of vague national security and anti-extremism legislation and its concerted attempts to silence civil society in the country; its shameful refusal to acknowledge civilian killings in Syria and its callous moves to block Security Council action on Syria. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Saudi Arabia Brutally cracking down on those who dared to advocate reform or criticise the authorities; and committing war crimes in the bombing campaign it has led in Yemen (pictured) while obstructing the establishment of a UN-led inquiry into violations by all sides in the conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Syria Killing thousands of civilians in direct and indiscriminate attacks with barrel bombs and other weaponry and through acts of torture in detention; and enforcing lengthy sieges of civilian areas, blocking international aid from reaching starving civilians. Getty Images

Labour is proud of the Human Rights Act and proud to mark Human Rights Day. The Act has improved the lives of many people in the UK. It has brought rights home – not just in the sense that people in the UK are protected by these rights, but in the sense that these rights, as set out in the European Convention, were written by British lawyers based on British history and British law.

Why would we want to go back to a golden age that never existed? We want no turning back to a time when only those with deep pockets could get justice. Labour will defend the Act to ensure the rights we all benefit from are guaranteed and protected. We cannot demand and expect other countries around the world to respect human rights if we are seen to be abandoning them here. We must think of Britain's standing in the world. Our hard won protections cannot and will not be diluted.