STORY
The Government has laid the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s updated draft Code of Practice before Parliament, setting out guidance on the Equality Act following the Supreme Court ruling on the legal meaning of sex. The draft guidance is intended to help organisations understand how to apply equality law in services, public functions and associations.
The code addresses the provision of single-sex spaces such as toilets, changing rooms and wards, and has already prompted strong reactions from campaigners, service providers and unions. Ministers have said the aim is to give clear and accessible guidance, while critics have warned that implementation may be legally, practically and socially difficult.
The issue remains one of the most sensitive in British politics, sitting at the intersection of women’s rights, trans rights, workplace policy and public services. Parliament will now consider the draft code, with the Government facing pressure both to ensure legal clarity and to avoid creating new uncertainty for organisations expected to apply the rules.