United Kingdom

In July 2024, a new UK government was elected, following more than a decade of backsliding on human rights and undermining of the international rules-based order by the outgoing government. The incoming government inherited a host of human rights challenges. The cost of living and inadequate social protections threaten the rights of people on low incomes, including to food and housing. Laws criminalizing protest undermine democratic rights. The new government withdrew the offshore UK-Rwanda asylum plan and resumed processing claims domestically; however, legislation violating refugee rights remain. Restoring the UK’s international standing and ability to promote human rights globally requires improvement to its domestic rights record and action to address its violation of rights in colonial contexts, including against the Chagossian people.