The UK Labour government repeatedly undermined human rights during its first full year in power in 2025, according to Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2026. The report presents a critical assessment of the government’s domestic and foreign policies, concluding that they contributed to democratic backsliding, restrictions on civil liberties, and a failure to protect vulnerable communities amid growing social and economic pressures.
Human Rights Watch found that the government’s immigration policies played a significant role in normalizing hostile rhetoric toward migrants and asylum seekers, creating conditions that emboldened far-right groups. The report also highlighted the government’s use of repressive protest laws and the application of counterterrorism legislation in ways that curtailed freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, marking a sharp erosion of protest rights in the UK.
The organization further criticized the government for failing to adequately respond to the cost-of-living crisis, which continued to deepen inequality and hardship across the country. According to the report, insufficient policy action left many people struggling to meet basic needs, undermining the right to an adequate standard of living.
On foreign policy, Human Rights Watch said the UK government did not consistently prioritize human rights, particularly in its approach to Israel and Palestine. While the government took limited steps to acknowledge violations in Gaza, it continued to authorize exports of military equipment used by Israeli forces in operations involving war crimes. The report also noted the government’s failure to provide full reparations to Chagossians for their forced displacement, despite claims of advancing a decolonization process involving the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Human Rights Watch concluded that the UK government is falling short of its domestic and international human rights obligations and called for the repeal or amendment of laws that threaten fundamental freedoms. The organization warned that unless the government changes course, its legacy could be one of weakening democratic protections and making the UK a less free and less rights-respecting society.
