Who the English philosopher who argued that people have natural rights?

Hobbes wrote about rights as they existed in a state of nature, but saw them as essentially destructive and best discarded in favour of the law lest a society live in a state of nature, a war of "all against all" - rights best dispensed of by some form of benevolent dictator. As an advocate of the 'social contract' model of law, Hobbes was familiar with and motivated to defend the hierarchical monarchy as an ideal form of government.

Many people contrast Hobbes to Locke, who's probably the one you're thinking of, since Locke, while also believing in a 'social contract' (an idea that implies a non-voluntary nature) redefined it round to consist of the essential classical ideas of individual liberty - the rights of life, liberty and property.

Many classical liberals and libertarians have since written on Hobbes and Locke's thought.