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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley among celebrities urging UK not to weaken torture protections

Michael Palin, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Brian Cox, Aisling Bea and Adrian Lester
Clockwise, left to right: Michael Palin, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Brian Cox, Aisling Bea and Adrian Lester Composite: various

The actors Michael Palin, Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley are among 21 well-known figures calling on Keir Starmer to drop plans to weaken human rights law and instead “take a principled stand” for torture victims, on the eve of a crucial European summit.

As David Lammy prepares to attend a Council of Europe meeting in Strasbourg that will discuss legal changes to stop bogus asylum claims, the novelist Julian Barnes, the actor Adrian Lester and the comedian Aisling Bea have also signed a letter telling the prime minister: “Any attempt at undermining universal protections is an affront to us all and a threat to the security of each and every one of us.”

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