The right to freedom of thought in the United Kingdom

Cranmer, Frank 2021. The right to freedom of thought in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance 8 (2-3) , pp. 146-170. 10.1163/22134514-bja10009

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Abstract

The United Kingdom is bound by international obligations to uphold “the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion” and domestic legislation reflects those obligations. The courts have held that to be protected, a belief must genuine, must not be a mere opinion, must attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness and importance and must be “worthy of respect in a democratic society”. How this plays out, however, in areas such as education, children’s rights and employment is highly sensitive to the specific facts of each case – which are often inconsistent, as the article explains. Much of the article examines the decisions of the courts in individual cases. It concludes with a discussion of the possible trajectory of domestic political debate at a time when there have been repeated calls for a “British Bill of Rights” and the Westminster Government is questioning more generally the constitutional role of the judiciary.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Cardiff Law & Politics
Publisher:	Brill
ISSN:	2213-4506
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 November 2025
Last Modified:	25 Nov 2025 15:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/182652

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