A DISTRICT MP has refuted claims that leaving the European Union will affect human rights.

Philip Davies, whose Shipley constituency includes Burley and Menston, said fears had been voiced over the issue.

But he stressed that citizens' rights were protected long before Britain became part of the EU and would continue to be so.

Speaking in Commons Question Time, he said: "For years in this House many people thought human rights only started with the Human Rights Act and now they seem to think they only started with our membership of the European Union.

"Will the Attorney General confirm our rights and freedoms in this country go back way beyond either of those particular points in our history and will continue long into the future after both of them have been replaced?"

Attorney General Jeremy Wright responded: "The rest of the world is rightly jealous of the ability of this country to protect human rights, through a robust system through the rule of law and fiercely independent judiciary and a very effective legal profession."