The Prime Minister’s plans to introduce a “Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” have been dealt a blow with the resignation of the Lord Lester of Herne Hill, the Liberal Democrat peer.

Lord Lester has resigned as unpaid adviser to Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, the Liberal Democrat whips' office in the Lords said yesterday.

The brief statement said that he was standing down because he did not agree with “the Government’s current proposals for a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, and with some aspects of its proposals for constitutional reform”.

Lord Lester, a noted human rights lawyer, was appointed by Gordon Brown last year shortly after the latter became Prime Minister to advise on constitutional affairs.

Yesterday Lord Lester declined to elaborate on the reasons for his resignation. But it was reported a few days ago that the Prime Minister’s plans for a Bill of Rights had prompted a Cabinet revolt.

Ministers are believed to have condemend the plans, unveiled to Cabinet last week by the Prime Minister and Mr Straw, as “pointless” and “provocative”, with critics fearing that they will pave the way for a deluge of court cases and be given a hostile reception by a public weary of a “human rights culture”.

Nick Herbert, Shadow Justice Secretary, said: “One by one, the talents who were recruited into Gordon Brown's big tent are crawling out.

“Jack Straw's plans for adding yet more rights on top of the Human Rights Act are clearly in real trouble. His ideas will be a paradise for lawyers but as Jacqui Smith clearly recognises a disaster for the fight against crime.

“Ministers should be focusing on helping people during the recession. Instead they are wasting time fighting over muddled proposals which simply have no relevance to people's day to day concerns.”

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