Labour accuses Badenoch of wanting to ‘turn clock back’ with plan to scrap public sector equality duty – UK politics live

Kemi Badenoch, the UK's technology secretary, stated this morning that she intends to repeal the public sector equality duty, a legal requirement within the Equality Act. Badenoch argued in a speech that this duty, which mandates public authorities to consider the impact of their functions on individuals with protected characteristics, has become a "minefield" that exposes public decisions to legal challenges due to its subjective nature and lack of clear rules. The duty, established to support good decision-making and monitor the actual impact of public activities on different groups, requires organizations to consider how their policies, programs, and services affect people with characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Labour has accused Badenoch of seeking to "turn the clock back" with this proposed change, which they believe will undermine protections against workplace discrimination for women, older people, and other groups. The duty also compels public bodies to review pupil performance in schools and provide additional support to those with protected characteristics who require it.