The Attorney General, the UK government's chief legal adviser, has warned that populism is one of the “serious challenges of our time” and that a “range of measures” will be needed to tackle it.
Top lawyer Richard Harmer long-time leftist Appointed as a “peer for life” last year to take up his role as attorney general, he was invited on Wednesday to reflect on the “risks and threats associated with populism”. deal with National Assembly Judiciary CommitteeLord Helmer answered key questions regarding the supposed “risks to democracy…”. There are risks not only of populism, but also of widespread information. ”
In the session, Isolated by politics.co.ukMr Harmer said “the issues raised are among the most serious challenges of our time” and require “a range of measures that our government and our allies around the world will need to consider”. I answered that it would be.
The lawyer is previously laid out His understanding of populism and the threat he perceives as “divisive and destructive” against “the machinations of the 'elites'.” These elites are “the essence of liberal democracy,” he said, adding that populists are dismantling the political consensus that underpins institutions and “reducing their legitimacy or, at worst, removing them from the field altogether.” He claimed that he is working to “actively eliminate them.”
The elite he is trying to protect from sniping by “populist” politics includes not only lawyers like himself, of course, but also journalists, NGOs, and “impartial and objective public servants.”
Mr Harmer said on Wednesday that one defense against these attacks is that governments should “make sure we all understand why the rule of law – which he believes cannot withstand populism” – is important to the public. ” He said that it is best to explain it in words.
However, as Mr. Harmer previously stated in 2024, when he speaks of the “rule of law,” he is asking for a specific rather than a general interpretation of it. The threat to this concept is essentially due to the opposition of some populists to internationalism.
He previously said: “International law is literally the 'rule of law' and states must comply with their international obligations…To strengthen the rule of law against populist forces, we will also: We must also emphasize its importance as a way of thinking.” It unites us, not divides us. Rebuilding a political consensus around these values will not be easy. It must be proactive, non-partisan and internationalist. ”
This comment, for example, goes to the heart of recent major debates in the UK about mass immigration and border controls. For example, Britain's slavish dedication to “international law” has made it incapable of rejecting immigrants, now labeled in the South as irregular migrants. coast.
Traditional political parties, such as Britain's ruling Labor Party, are facing so-called populist attacks from both sides. Meanwhile, Labor faces internal threats from left-wing populists, with the current Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, having spent years purging the Corbynite left from within the party, and externally by Nigel Starmer. It faces threats from rising political forces such as Farage's Reform Britain. It is currently attracting votes from the Labor Party.
Therefore, while the Labor government's anxiety about populism may be understandable, the wording of “measures” to silence opposing political ideas does not imply, for example, that Germany's idea of outlawing populists would potentially exclude them from the political system. may be interpreted as worryingly aligned with the movement of . Supporters of the move argue that banning the country's second-most popular political party is essential to protecting democracy.
