Saturday, February 22, 2020
Do you need to be in favour of equality to be Equalities Minister?
Boris Johnson's government is out to redefine a great deal of what has previously been accepted wisdom, so why not equalities? At least he has appointed an equalities minister, even if she has a fairly loose concept of what her brief means.
According to the Independent, Kemi Badenoch, the government’s newly appointed junior minister for equalities has never voted on equal gay rights or gay marriage in her three years as an MP. They say she is working on policy for women and LGBT+ people – but she has abstained on every Commons vote on the issue:
In July 2019, the Saffron Walden MP abstained from a vote on Northern Ireland’s extensions of “Marriage of Same-Sex Couples” and “Marriage and Civil Partnerships” for same sex people. Both of these successfully passed through the Houses.
Laura Russell, Director of Policy, Campaigns and Research at Stonewall, told The Independent: “Everyone who holds public office needs to champion the individuals they represent, including LGBT people, and we will work with Government toward creating a world where all LGBT people are truly accepted.’
‘There has been a lot of progress towards LGBT equality over the last thirty years, from the introduction of equal marriage to the creation of anti-discrimination laws. But we are far from living in an equal society, and hate crimes against LGBT people are on the rise, including a reported 37 per cent increase in hate crime towards trans people over the last year.”
Additionally, in June 2018, Badenoch voted against retaining the EU’s “Charter of Fundamental Rights” following Brexit. That Labour amendment was voted down, with 320 MPs to 301 voting against it.
No doubt we are all looking forward to seeing how this record translates into action as a Minister.
According to the Independent, Kemi Badenoch, the government’s newly appointed junior minister for equalities has never voted on equal gay rights or gay marriage in her three years as an MP. They say she is working on policy for women and LGBT+ people – but she has abstained on every Commons vote on the issue:
In July 2019, the Saffron Walden MP abstained from a vote on Northern Ireland’s extensions of “Marriage of Same-Sex Couples” and “Marriage and Civil Partnerships” for same sex people. Both of these successfully passed through the Houses.
Laura Russell, Director of Policy, Campaigns and Research at Stonewall, told The Independent: “Everyone who holds public office needs to champion the individuals they represent, including LGBT people, and we will work with Government toward creating a world where all LGBT people are truly accepted.’
‘There has been a lot of progress towards LGBT equality over the last thirty years, from the introduction of equal marriage to the creation of anti-discrimination laws. But we are far from living in an equal society, and hate crimes against LGBT people are on the rise, including a reported 37 per cent increase in hate crime towards trans people over the last year.”
Additionally, in June 2018, Badenoch voted against retaining the EU’s “Charter of Fundamental Rights” following Brexit. That Labour amendment was voted down, with 320 MPs to 301 voting against it.
No doubt we are all looking forward to seeing how this record translates into action as a Minister.
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Johnson is a 'Trumpite'. He wishes to weaken human rights and equalities that he does not approve of. He recruits this MP for she does not seem to be strong on equalities issues. She could be 'leaned on' to do his wishes. It remains to be seen how firm she can be in her ministry.
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