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News from the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Wednesday 25 March 2026
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Welcome to our March update. This month’s edition brings together highlights from our regulatory, policy and enforcement work, with a summary of our engagement across England, Scotland and Wales.
In March we worked with our neighbouring National Human Rights Institutions on the application of the European Convention on Human Rights, delivered an event for senior leaders in partnership with Equally Ours, published new guiding principles to help deliver more accessible transport services, released a summary of the High Court judgment in the Good Law Project challenge, and contributed to national conversations on equality data and public sector accountability. We also promoted the conclusion of our Pontins enforcement action, shared parliamentary briefings on restraint in schools and facial recognition technology, and concluded two legally-binding agreements within the hospitality and entertainment sectors.
Tomorrow marks the start of the election period for Scottish Parliament, shortly before Welsh Parliament (Senedd Cymru) and local elections in England. We are therefore pausing our monthly newsletter until after the election period.
In the meantime, you can explore our website, including our Freedom of expression and respectful discourse: guidance for political candidates and parties.
We look forward to resuming regular communications soon.
Read on for the full round‑up of our work.
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Our event with Equally Ours
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Last week we jointly organised an event with Equally Ours that brought together senior representatives from Parliament, over 30 civil society organisations, government and public bodies, to discuss how we can work collectively to protect and promote human rights.
Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, delivered a keynote speech before attendees heard reflections from both EHRC and Equally Ours’ leadership. Attendees took part in roundtable discussions, exploring how we can collectively protect and promote human rights across our organisations.
The event sparked valuable conversations around closer collaboration and intelligence-sharing, and we hope it's the start of more joint working to deliver stronger outcomes for equality and human rights. We thank all who took part in this event.
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| Read Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson’s speech |
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High Court judgment summary of Good Law Project legal challenge published
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Following the High Court's rejection of the Good Law Project's legal challenge to our interim update on the Supreme Court's judgment on the definition of 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010, we've published a summary of the judgment on our website that explains:
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| Hear from our Chair on the legal challenge |
| Read our summary of the legal challenge |
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Joint statement on the application of the European Convention on Human Rights
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As one of three National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in the United Kingdom, it is our duty to explain how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) benefits us and the risks to everybody in the UK if these freedoms and protections are weakened. We have published a joint statement with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and Scottish Human Rights Commission to this effect.
We will continue to monitor the government’s plans closely and stand ready to advise ministers on the implications for human rights protections in the UK.
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| Read the joint NHRI statement on the ECHR |
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Our new guiding principles for accessible transport
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We have published new guiding principles to help policymakers and transport operators embed accessibility and dignity for disabled and older people. The principles set clear expectations on involving users, providing accessible information and support, improving complaints systems, collecting equality data, and ensuring staff are trained to uphold passengers’ rights.
We will use these principles in our engagement with the sector and expect leaders to work with disabled and older people to drive lasting improvements.
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| Read our guiding principles for accessible transport |
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Meetings and engagements
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Dr Mary‑Ann Stephenson has continued her introductory meetings with stakeholders including the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, the Muslim Council of Britain, Just Fair, Sex Matters and Fawcett Society. Additionally, Dr Stephenson met with faith stakeholders in Scotland and Wales and attended Stonewall’s parliamentary reception alongside our Chief Executive John Kirkpatrick. Next week, they will attend the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions annual general meeting to discuss emerging challenges, share learning and help strengthen international human rights standards.
Meanwhile, our teams have continued engaging with key stakeholders to support delivery of our strategic plan, focusing on core regulatory responsibilities, strengthening equality data and contributing to ongoing public service reforms, including Public Sector Equality Duties (PSED). This included meeting organisations on proposals for facial recognition and other biometric technologies, and continuing discussions with civil society and transport bodies on the accessibility challenges facing disabled and older passengers, highlighting the need for robust equality data and meaningful engagement to improve outcomes.
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Wales Equality Exchange event
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Our Chair recently spoke at our most recent Wales Equality Exchange Event that focused on the PSED. This virtual event bought together equality stakeholders across sectors in Wales.
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Our enforcement work showcased at Public Policy Exchange webinar
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Our enforcement team recently presented at a Public Policy Exchange webinar, outlining what our investigation into Pontins uncovered about discriminatory booking practices affecting Irish Travellers and the outcomes achieved through our regulatory action. The session explored how we gathered evidence, the changes made by the company, and wider lessons on identifying and tackling race discrimination.
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Advising government and Parliament
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Our response on new legal framework for biometrics and facial recognition
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We responded to the UK Government’s consultation on a new legal framework for biometrics and facial recognition. While these technologies can support policing, they carry significant human rights and discrimination risks. We call for clear primary legislation, strong safeguards and statutory codes of practice to ensure their use is necessary, proportionate and protects people’s rights.
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| Read our consultation response |
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Briefing on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill
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We have published a parliamentary briefing ahead of the Stage 2 deadline for amendments on the Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill. Our recommendations focus on clear definitions of restraint and seclusion and recording data on the protected characteristics of those subject to restraint and seclusion practices.
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| Read our briefing on restraint and seclusion |
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Responding to proposed changes to Welsh Government statistics outputs
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We responded to the Welsh Government’s proposals to change its statistical outputs, highlighting risks to already limited equality data in Wales. We recommend steps to prevent data gaps widening and to support public bodies to meet their equality duties.
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| Read more about the importance of equality data |
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Legal and enforcement action
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Our intervention on live facial recognition
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We have published a summary of our intervention in the judicial review that raises concerns that the Metropolitan Police’s live facial recognition policy lacks sufficient safeguards. In our submission to court we conclude it is incompatible with key human rights protections and highlighted the need for clearer rules around its use.
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| Read our summary of the intervention |
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Lidl completes agreement to prevent sexual harassment
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We’ve concluded our Section 23 agreement with Lidl after the company took further steps to strengthen how it prevents sexual harassment in the workplace.
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| Read our case summary on Lidl’s action |
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Live Nation improves festival accessibility following section 23 agreement
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We have concluded our Section 23 agreement with Live Nation and its festival operator, Festival Republic, after the company implemented a series of changes to improve accessibility for disabled festival‑goers.
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| Read about our agreement with Live Nation |
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Conclusion of regulatory action on incompatible single-sex spaces guidance
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We have concluded our regulatory action on single-sex space policies. These organisations spanned the policing, education and health sectors. All 19 organisations we contacted in August 2025 have now removed policies that misrepresented the Equality Act 2010.
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| Read about our action |
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Case study: tackling race inequalities in maternity care
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We have developed a case study with Liverpool Women’s Hospital showcasing effective practice in tackling race inequalities in maternity care. The case study highlights the hospital’s anti‑racism hub and shows how it has driven direct improvements in clinical practice.
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| Read the Liverpool Women’s Hospital case study |
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Tackling inequality in Scotland’s colleges and universities
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We have worked with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to assess uptake of National Equality Objectives (NEOs) in Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) institutions in Scotland. Our findings were encouraging and there is a high adoption of NEOs across the sectors and significant good practice.
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| Read more in a new report published by the SFC |
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Our 2025 to 2028 Strategic Plan
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Read more about our strategic plan to safeguard and promote equality and human rights.
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