united-kingdom common-law court
Can UK citizens claim common law rights in a UK court, and what would happen if they did?
<p>I've read in numerous blogs and heard from a few people that common law is more important than statute law in the UK, and that UK citizens can claim common law rights in some cases for their benefit.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>According to one of the people I spoke with many moons ago, it requires opting out fully with the help of a legal professional; but that may have been their choice.</p></li>
<li><p>According to some blogs you can simply claim common law rights in a court.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>However, I've not been able to find a trustworthy answer or explanation about what that would entail.</p>

<ul>
<li><p><strong>Can a UK citizen claim common law rights in a UK court?</strong></p></li>
<li><p><strong>If they can, would it change anything?</strong></p></li>
</ul>

<p>You are deeply confused, probably by the blogs of a conspiracy theorist (perhaps discussing the Sovereign Citizen Movement mentioned in the comments), whom it would be helpful for you to reference.</p>

<p>In fact, people with and without lawyers claim common law rights in the ordinary courts of the UK every day, in the lion's share of civil lawsuits. For example:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>There is a common law right to sue for damages when someone breaches a contract by not paying a bill that they owe. A defendant, meanwhile, has a common law right to defend against such a suit on grounds, for example, that the debt has been paid or that the debt is not owed because there was no agreement to pay in the first place. </p></li>
<li><p>The substantive right of an owner of real property to evict a tenant who breaches a lease arises at common law, even though statutes spell out the process for enforcing that right. Furthermore, the way that ownership of real property is established (i.e. through a chain of title involving purchases by deeds) likewise arises at common law. The defendant meanwhile has a common law defense to a claim for rent for the remainder of the period in a lease after an eviction for failure of the landlord to mitigate damages if the landlord does not make a reasonable effort to find a new tenant.</p></li>
<li><p>The right to sue someone who negligently caused an accident that injured you is a common law right.</p></li>
</ul>
