Member

The other problem with the present formulation of British values is that it does not make clear what is meant by “democracy”, a word that, as we know, can be claimed by even the most totalitarian of states. My amendment defines democracy in terms of an independent judiciary, a parliamentary system with a Government who are accountable to Parliament, regular elections, and decentralised decision-making accountable at an appropriate level to the electorate. The present formulation does not say what is meant by individual liberty, which is much too loose a phrase. The traditional word is, of course, freedom. My amendment says that freedom must include freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association.