Britain decides – what the 2015 election result means for torture survivors

The Conservative Party is preparing to form a government after one of the most closely fought elections in British history.

What does this mean for torture survivors in the UK?

Freedom from Torture is highly concerned about the Conservatives' pledge to repeal the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights, a move that is clearly intended to water down protections. The Act is a crucial safeguard for survivors against return to their torturers as well as from destitution, discrimination and detention in this country. Freedom from Torture strongly opposes any efforts to repeal or weaken this fundamental human rights law.

It is hard to reconcile the Conservative Party's plans to dilute human rights laws at home with its manifesto commitment to supporting universal human rights abroad, and this contradiction will no doubt be a focus of discussion in the coming period.

In the meantime, Freedom from Torture strongly welcomes the Conservatives' commitment to ongoing UK leadership on prevention of sexual violence in conflict and support for the UN investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka, the top country of origin for those referred to us for clinical services.

The Conservative Party manifesto is largely silent about plans for reforming the UK's asylum system. The poor quality of asylum decision-making remains the biggest problem for most torture survivors seeking sanctuary in the UK. We look forward to working with the new Government to strengthen protections for torture survivors in the asylum system, to ensure that the Home Office 'gets it right first time' when deciding their protection claims and that rules against detention of torture survivors are honoured in practice.

We are concerned that some Conservative justice and immigration policies, such as 'deport first, appeal later' may be at odds with the UK's international obligation to uphold the universal torture ban.

We will also be monitoring the development of Government proposals in relation to welfare, legal aid, access to healthcare and other public services.

David Cameron will be assembling his cabinet and preparing for the announcement of a legislative programme in the Queen's Speech on 27 May. This means making important decisions about the new Government's legislative priorities. Freedom from Torture is preparing for action to ensure the UK does not resile from the prohibition of torture, as guaranteed in the Human Rights Act, and that the rights of survivors living in exile in the UK are protected.