Boris Johnson warned he risks EU sanctions with assault on Human Rights Act

Measures at heart of Queen’s Speech designed to show UK is shaking off Brussels ‘fetters’ following Brexit

The prime minister, Boris Johnson (REUTERS)

Britain risks sanctions from Europe over plans to water down human rights protections, to be unveiled by Boris Johnson on Tuesday, an expert on EU law has warned.

An assault on the Human Rights Act is at the heart of a Queen’s Speech billed by the prime minister as a chance for the post-Brexit UK to shake off the fetters of EU regulation and strike out on its own in areas ranging from animal welfare to gene-editing and financial services.

But experts warn that replacing the Act – which embeds the European Convention on Human Rights in UK law – with a British Bill of Rights will have a devastating impact on the country’s influence internationally.