Bill of Rights Bill bounces back?

Not if the PM finds out what it says

Yesterday’s Telegraph reported that Rishi Sunak had agreed to let the justice secretary proceed with his Bill of Rights Bill.

Dominic Raab (left) and Rishi Sunak

Dominic Raab said the bill would return to parliament — presumably for its second reading debate — “in the coming weeks”:

Dominic Raab @DominicRaab

The Bill of Rights will return to Parliament in the coming weeks. It builds on the UK's proud tradition of liberty by strengthening freedom of speech, reinjecting a healthy dose of common sense to the system and ending abuse of our laws.

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Ever since Raab first announced his bill, I have been sceptical about his chances of getting it through parliament. That prediction was apparently vindicated when Liz Truss sent Raab and his bill packing. Sunak brought Raab back into the Ministry of Justice but I remain unpersuaded that he will be allowed to proceed with his bill as currently drafted. It has been torn apart by everyone who has taken the trouble to read it — not least Lord Mance, one of the UK’s most senior retired judges, as I reported last week.

What seems to have won Sunak over is the claim that Raab’s bill will stop the human rights court enforcing interim measures — the equivalent of a temporary injunction — against the UK government. Once Sunak understands why the bill will do no such thing, he may be less willing to let Raab’s bill go ahead in its current form.