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Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 3 June 2026

Debate

Equality Act 2010: Code of Practice

Contribution

I do not accept the premise of the noble Baroness’s question. I said in response to the noble Baroness, Lady Stedman-Scott, that the EHRC itself last month outlined that it had made a small number of changes based on feedback, consultation responses and further legal analysis on its part. We have been clear that organisations must follow the law. Our focus has always been on making sure that organisations have the guidance they need and that it is clear and practical. For example, one change made clear that associations can define their membership on the basis of more than one protected characteristic—for instance, a walking club for Muslim women or an LGBT+ support group—and continue to operate lawfully. We have not put pressure; the EHRC has explicitly said that the draft code was amended to make the law clearer for service providers and others. The EHRC has been clear that it made the decision to amend the draft code following feedback, consultation responses and legal advice. That is the position.

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