EditorCall for new Human Rights law in Wales amid fears of US‑style crackdown
Plaid Cymru MS Sioned Williams is urging the Senedd to back a new Human Rights Bill for Wales, saying global events show how quickly protections can be weakened. She said a “powerful and co‑ordinated movement” is trying to redraw “who deserves dignity and protection”, and warned that Wales cannot assume its own rights framework is safe.
Her comments come after reports from the US of violent confrontations involving ICE agents, which she says show how easily governments can restrict freedoms when rights are not legally enforceable.
Warning Wales is not immune
Ms Williams said Wales has its own human rights failings, pointing to a Welsh Government report which described the detention and hospitalisation of people with learning disabilities and autistic people as a “human rights scandal”.
Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru, said too many people in Wales still face barriers that breach basic rights.
“It’s not enough to say that human rights are already regarded in Wales, when they’re not enforceable,” she said. “For too many people with learning disabilities and autistic people, their rights are being breached, right here in Wales.”
She said the problems extend across society, including gender‑based violence, poverty, structural racism, and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
“A Human Rights Bill for Wales would ensure ministers and public bodies are bound by law to uphold the human rights of civilians,” she said. “It would improve accountability and make rights clearer and more accessible.”
What the Bill would do
The proposal calls for Wales to write key international human rights treaties directly into Welsh law. That would allow people to challenge public bodies in court if their rights are breached.
Ms Williams said the move was promised in the Welsh Labour Programme for Government but has not been delivered.
Her proposal is a Members’ Legislative Proposal, meaning it is non‑binding but will show the level of support a full Bill might receive.
Opposing voices
Reform UK has repeatedly argued for the UK to scrap or scale back human rights legislation, saying current laws are too broad and restrict government powers. The party has called for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and replace existing protections with a new domestic framework.
A Reform UK spokesperson has previously said the current system “puts the rights of criminals and illegal migrants above the rights of the British public”, and that the UK needs “a simpler, tougher approach”.
The Welsh Government has not yet responded to Ms Williams’ proposal.
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