Equality Act 2010

The Labour Party included a commitment to an Equality Bill in its 2005 election manifesto. The Discrimination Law Review was established in 2005 to develop the legislation and was led by the Government Equalities Office. The review considered the findings of the Equalities Review Panel, chaired by Trevor Phillips, which reported in February 2007. The Act is intended to simplify the law by bringing together existing anti-discrimination legislation. The Equality Act 2010 has replaced the Equal Pay Act 1970, Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Race Relations Act 1976, Disability Discrimination Act 1995, Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

Polly Toynbee wrote that the bill, which was drafted under the guidance of Harriet Harman, was "Labour's biggest idea for 11 years. A public-sector duty to close the gap between rich and poor will tackle the class divide in a way that no other policy has... This new duty to narrow the gap would permeate every aspect of government policy. Its possible ramifications are mind-bogglingly immense." One cabinet member described it as "socialism in one clause". This part of the legislation was never brought into force, except for Scottish devolved authorities. Sections 104–105 of the Act extend until 2030 the exemption from sex discrimination law, which allows political parties to create all-women shortlists. The exemption was previously permitted by the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002.

The parliamentary process was completed, following a debate, shortly after 11 pm on 6 April 2010, when amendments by the House of Lords were accepted in full.

Reform of the monarchy

In April 2008, Solicitor General Vera Baird announced that as part of the Single Equality Bill, legislation would be introduced to repeal parts of the Act of Settlement 1701 that prevent Roman Catholics or those who marry Roman Catholics from ascending to the throne, and to change the inheritance of the monarchy from cognatic primogeniture to absolute primogeniture, so that the first-born heir would inherit the throne regardless of gender or religion.

However, later in 2008, the Attorney General Baroness Scotland of Asthal decided not to sponsor a change in the law of succession, saying, "To bring about changes to the law on succession would be a complex undertaking involving amendment or repeal of a number of items of related legislation, as well as requiring the consent of legislatures of member nations of the Commonwealth". The published draft bill did not contain any provisions to change the succession laws. Male-preference primogeniture for the British monarchy was instead abolished separately three years after the Equality Act came into force, with the enactment of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.

Opposition by Roman Catholic bishops

Although the act was never going to change the law with regard to churches from its existing position, nor change the binding European Union law which covers many more Roman Catholics than those living in the United Kingdom, and although the position had been spelled out in the High Court in R (Amicus) v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, a small number of Roman Catholic bishops in England and Wales made claims that they might in future be prosecuted under the Equality Act 2010 for refusing to allow women, married men, transgender people, and gay people into the priesthood. This claim was rejected by the government. A spokesman said an exemption in the law "covers ministers of religion such as Catholic priests" and a document released by the Government Equalities Office states that "the Equality Bill will not change the existing legal position regarding churches and employment". The legislation was also criticised by Anglican clergy.

Certain employment is exempted from the Act, including:

• Priests, monks, nuns, rabbis, and ministers of religion.
• Actors and models in the film, television and fashion industries (a British Chinese actress for a specific role, for instance).
• Special employment training programmes aimed at ethnic minorities, ex-offenders, young adults, the long-term unemployed, or people with physical or learning disabilities.
• Employment where there are cultural sensitivities (such as a documentary where male victims of domestic violence need to be interviewed by a male researcher, or a gay men's domestic violence helpline).
• Where safety or operational efficiency could be jeopardised.
• Political parties who use 'protected characteristics' (age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation) as candidate selection criteria; however, these "Selection arrangements do not include short-listing only such persons as have a particular protected characteristic", other than sex, which may still be used to prejudice selection in some circumstances (e.g. all-women/all-men shortlists).
• Local support staff who work in embassies and high commissions, by virtue of diplomatic immunity.
• Where national security could be jeopardised.

The duty set out in section 149 requires those public authorities which are subject to it to have due regard to three aims:

• to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited under the Act,
• to advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not, and
• to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.^{: Section 149}

The Cabinet Office's Information Note 1/13, "Public Procurement and the Public Sector Equality Duty", noted that public authorities needed to have due regard to this duty when planning and undertaking procurement activities, stating in particular that when contracting out public functions, it would be usual to include contract conditions which specified how equality obligations and objectives were to be complied with.

Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations

The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011–2260), made on 9 September 2011, required public authorities to publish information to demonstrate their compliance with the public sector equality duty and to identify one or more objectives which they thought they should work to achieve.

In 2020, certain groups attempted to legally challenge the EHRC's Code of Practice on "Services, Public Functions and Associations", which attempts to provide practical guidance on implementing the Equality Act, concerning the advice that service providers should in general treat trans people as their acquired gender. The challenge failed to get a hearing before the High Court of Justice, because the justice did not consider the case to be arguable.

• UK employment equality law
• Equality Impact Assessment
• Mandla v Dowell-Lee
• Gender Recognition Act

• E. McGaughey, A Casebook on Labour Law (Hart 2019) chs 12–14
• S. Deakin and G. Morris, Labour Law (Hart 2012) ch 6
• Polly Toynbee, 'Harman's law is Labour's biggest idea for 11 years' (13 January 2009) The Guardian

• What is the Equality Act? Archived 22 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine – Equality and Human Rights Commission
• Framework For a Fairer Future Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Government Equalities Office
• "Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain". Communities and Local Government website. 4 September 2023.
• Parliament page for the progress of the Bill
• Government Equalities Office page on the Equality Bill Archived 10 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
• Equality Act Guidance, updated 8 March 2013
• Image of the Act on the UK Parliamentary website