WE take the protection of our human rights for granted, but, now, 800 years on from Magna Carta, which set out for the first time the basic right of the individual to challenge the powerful, that legacy is under threat.

Members of the Kirkbymoorside Group of Amnesty International know how vital human rights protections are, and we protest regularly against violations of human rights all over the world. The Human Rights Act has allowed elderly couples here to challenge their separation from each other in different nursing homes, a mother who was a victim of domestic violence to get her children back, and British soldiers to challenge the inadequate kit they were given. Those are just some examples of how these precious hard-won rights make a difference to ordinary people.

All over the world people are still fighting for the same rights which the Human Rights Act protects here. It took us all a very long time to lay claim to those rights, and we must not let politicians take them away with the stroke of a pen.

As the election approaches, Amnesty is calling on all political parties to safeguard the human rights of all. That means protecting the Human Rights Act. We don’t want to be the generation who allowed this country to become a crueller, less fair place. We look forward to the responses of the candidates for the Thirsk and Malton constituency.

Martin Knight, chairman Amnesty International, Kirkbymoorside