Damning Human Rights Watch report shows UK Govt repeatedly undermined economic, social and cultural rights in 2025

People’s economic, social and cultural rights were inadequately protected by Govt policies- says new report from Human Rights Watch

6 Feb 2026| News

Human Rights Watch’s World Report has highlighted a continued assault on freedom of expression, assembly and association for those residing in the UK.

They concluded that Government policies throughout 2025 were inadequate to safeguard people’s economic, social and cultural rights. Of significant concern was the repressive anti-protest laws and the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.

Disability Rights have seen continued attacks according to the report. It reads: “As of October, the government’s Mental Health Bill had reached its final parliamentary stages. While the bill includes positive measures, it falls far short of international human rights standards. The bill continues to allow for arbitrary detention in psychiatric hospitals, treatment without consent, and stripping people of their legal capacity, and fails to provide for supported decision-making.” It also notes that the Government’s legislation to significant cut spending on disability-related social security would halve new applicants’ benefits after April 2026, which was “a clear retrogression in the right to social security that creates a two-tier system”.

The report also cites widening poverty and inequality in the UK, pointing out that absolute poverty increased from 17 to 18 percent of the population. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that that low-income families with three or more children and households including a person with a disability were at higher risk of poverty.

On foreign policy, the report indicates a ‘patchwork record’ on human rights and foreign policy in 2025. It especially notes that the UK signed trade deals with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council without incorporation robust and legally binding rights protections.

Yasmine Ahmed, UK director at Human Rights Watch said:

I think a lot of people are shocked by the authoritarian direction this government has taken, not only is it cut-and-pasting some of the worst and most regressive policies of the previous administration, but in areas like protest rights it is going even further.

You can read the full report here: