Government defeat in the Lords weakens Equality Bill
A fight over amendments could lose the legislation says Symon Hill
A defeat for the government in the house of Lords has put the future of the Equality Bill in jeopardy. In the last year of a government, Bills can be delayed in the house of Lords, risking their path to the statute book. In this case, the government is now in the position of having to accept Lords’ amendments to the Bill or risk losing the legislation. Ministers have said that they will not fight amendments passed in the House of Lords to allow faith-based organisations to refuse to employ people on grounds of their sexuality. The amendments, which scraped through the Lords – in one case by only five votes – were promoted by socially conservative Christian groups and backed by Church of England bishops. But Cutting Edge, an anti-discrimination coalition that includes Christian, Muslim, Jewish and secular groups, encouraged the government to resist the amendments. They point out that the Bill already gives exemptions for clergy and others in representative roles.
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