Conference 2023 Panel 3: Courts and the rule of law

Relations between the political branches and the courts have been strained in recent years. Pushback against the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights has spilled over into determined attempts to ‘clip the wings’ of the UK’s own courts, with renewed interest in ‘ouster clauses' and attempts to repeal the Human Rights Act, against a steady drumbeat of complaint that courts have become too powerful in our constitutional arrangements. How can the damage be repaired? What should be the priorities of a future government interested in restoring the UK’s battered reputation as a rule of law-regarding nation?Speakers includeLaura Farris MP – Conservative MP for Newbury and former practising barrister at MatrixEmily Thornberry MP - Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and Shadow Attorney GeneralFiona Rutherford – Chief Executive, JusticeChair: Murray Hunt – Director of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law