INTERIM Labour leader Harriet Harman put the party yesterday at the head of opposition to David Cameron’s plans to scrap the Human Rights Act.

Speaking in London, Ms Harman said that Labour would work with a “broad alliance of people and organisations” to “defend human rights” and frustrate the government’s proposals.

Mr Cameron drew back from including a commitment to legislate in the Queen’s Speech amid anger from some Tory MPs.

But instead, the government said it would publish a consultation paper on its election commitment to repeal the Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights.

However, Ms Harman said that Labour was determined to resist any move by ministers to “water down” human rights in Britain and warned the government not to try to pull out of the convention.

“We believe that, together, we can prevent the government eroding human rights,” she declared.

“Their policy is intellectually incoherent and, worse, it’s wrong in principle.”