Sir - Like many others, I have deep concerns about government plans to scrap the Human Rights Act.

The Human Rights Act is based on simple, universal standards drawn up in 1950. The Council of Europe wanted to prevent the horrors of the Second World War from ever reoccurring and the UK was a major contributor to these standards.

It is difficult to understand the desire to abolish an act which enshrines protections in law for all, not least the most vulnerable such as victims of sexual and domestic violence and trafficked children.

The HRA protects, amongst other things, the right to life, to privacy, equal treatment and education. It protects the right to freedom from imprisonment without good cause, freedom of thought and belief, free speech and peaceful protest.

Until the Act was passed in 1998, many of the rights it covers had no protection under our domestic laws. British people had rely upon the goodwill of the state or take the long, costly route through the European Court of Human Rights.

Arguments that the HRA benefits criminals and terrorists are false - where people's rights are threatened by others (e.g. terrorists) the Act requires the state to take action.

I urge people to read up on the HRA. A 38 Degrees petition to save it can be found at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-human-rights

Miss Sue Avery

Worcester