Who we are and what we do
How we work together to make real, lasting change
Liberty challenges injustice, defends freedom and campaigns to make sure everyone in the UK is treated fairly.
Find out more about our current priorities and how we work together to make real lasting change.
What we do
Liberty is the UK’s oldest human rights organisation, fighting for everyone’s rights.
For over 90 years, Liberty and its supporters have fought for the rights and freedoms of everyone in the UK. We’ve stood up to fascism and racism, censorship and state surveillance. Our legal challenges have shaped laws and our campaigns have changed lives.
When we come together to protect one another and the society we all dream of, we achieve incredible things.
We help shape legislation, and challenge abuses of power in the courts.
We advise policymakers, coordinate coalitions, brief the media and campaign with our supporters to help shape laws that protect and strengthen our human rights.
In fact, Liberty was instrumental in the creation of our Human Rights Act, one of the all-time great legislative achievements which helps protect every single person in the UK against abuse of power.
The Human Rights Act empowers us all to challenge the state in court when public bodies don’t respect our rights – and Liberty’s legal team has a strong track-record of winning landmark cases which have stopped abuse of power, changed the law, and ultimately improved lives.
We also provide up-to-date, free legal information and run workshops to help individuals and organisations to protect their rights and those of their loved ones and communities.
We investigate and expose hidden injustice in the UK.
Liberty Investigates is an award-winning, editorially independent team of investigative journalists. They use hard-hitting, high-impact journalism to expose hidden injustice in the UK. Their reporting has helped shine a light on abuses of power and has been used as evidence in Parliament and sparked real, positive change..
We campaign to make the UK a freer, fairer place.
We challenge injustice. We raise awareness of attempts to infringe our civil liberties. We stand with groups and communities who are negatively affected by dangerous proposals and bad practice, and support them to protect their own rights.
Liberty was set up in 1934 to defend “the whole spirit of British freedom”. And for almost a century, Liberty and its supporters have done just that – from securing mental health reform to workers’ rights, from winning landmark equality cases to dismantling discriminatory policing practices.
We fight for a better society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. And we have a track-record of winning.
Our work can be challenging, complex and even controversial.
We often focus on issues which are complex and nuanced, often with competing rights and no easy answers. So we work closely with lawyers, policymakers and subject experts, as well as a diverse group of campaigners and people with first-hand experience of the issues we campaign on.
We are a trusted voice on difficult and controversial issues. Real change for the better requires more than catchy slogans. We make sure Liberty’s involvement in an issue serves the interests of those at the sharp end of dangerous policies, and that it has genuine, positive impact.
Liberty has always been independent and impartial.
For almost a century, Liberty and its supporters have stood up to UK governments of every persuasion and challenged State power in all its forms whenever necessary. We are not – and never will be – influenced by profit, public opinion or any political party. No matter who is in power, Liberty can be relied upon to stand up for justice.
Liberty is a not-for-profit organisation, and we need your support.
We receive no funding from the Government, so our history of success and everything we will achieve together in the future depends on donations from generous members of the public. Please donate today.
Why our work matters now
Everyone – no matter who we are or where we’re from – has basic human rights.
Human rights are the fundamental rights and freedoms that enable us all to live dignified lives. Human rights are not earned – every single one of us has them simply because we are human.
Our rights and freedoms are guaranteed by law and defended by democratic institutions.
Certain laws, like the UK’s Human Rights Act, make our fundamental rights ‘real’ by forcing governments to recognise and respect them. Some rights are absolute, like the right not to be tortured or falsely imprisoned. Other rights, like the right to privacy or freedom of expression, can be limited for reasons like public health or security – or the competing rights of other people. The laws that protect them are made and upheld by institutions like parliament and the courts.
In a democratic society, judicial decisions can be appealed, and Members of Parliament (MPs) can be removed and replaced in elections.
Today, the rights and institutions that protect and unite us are being systematically attacked.
Every day, in the press and on social media, we’re being forced to see the worst in one another. The things which frighten and divide us are being amplified and distorted. Our outrage is being aimed at a particular group or community, and used to sweep away the rights and institutions that protect them.
But once these rights are gone, they’re gone for all of us.
If the government can violate one person’s rights, they can violate everyone’s rights.
When human rights are taken away from one group of people, they’re taken away from all of us. We may not realise they’re gone until we need to rely on them. But then it’ll be too late.
The direction of travel is unmistakeable, but the outcome is not inevitable.
We’re at a turning point in history, but if we are brave and tackle the issues that face all of us with compassion for one another, balance competing rights and really listen to different opinions, it’s not too late to change the tide.
We’re privileged to live in a diverse nation, enriched by a whole range of different identities and perspectives. But this society we’ve built together only works if we respect the rights and freedoms of everyone around us and listen to each other.
Let’s not pretend otherwise – this can be hard. It takes courage and positivity. It can sometimes feel untidy or indecisive, but it’s how we live together. We’re better together. And together we can turn things around.
The time to act is now.
Liberty and its supporters have been a force for fairness, dignity and respect in our society for more than 90 years. Not through slogans, knee-jerk reactions and the promise of easy answers. But through being courageous: tackling even unpopular issues head-on and daring to dream of a society shaped by traditions of freedom, acceptance and belonging. One where power is used positively to our benefit, allowing us all to pursue the life we choose.
It’s time for courage again now. Stand with Liberty to shape a fairer, freer United Kingdom.