UK government ‘increasingly antagonistic’ towards human rights, European watchdog warns

Government crackdown on freedom of assembly and persecution of asylum seekers among concerns of commissioner

Men being processed as an asylum centre in Kent. The UK’s treatment of refugees is among concerns raised by the commissioner (Getty Images)

The UK government appears to be "increasingly antagonistic" towards human rights, Europe's watchdog has warned.

Dunja Mijatović, human rights commissioner at the Council of Europe, warned that British government policies were causing "anxiety about the direction of human rights protection in the UK".

Ms Mijatović says she found a number of areas of concern during a fact-finding mission to the UK over the summer.