Oral Answers to Questions

Olivia Bailey Excerpts

Wednesday 28th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill) (Lab)]

1. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to protect LGBTQ+ rights.

[The Minister for Equalities (Olivia Bailey)]

The Government are improving LGBT+ healthcare, equalising hate crime laws and banning abusive conversion practices. We will reject the politics of division and hate, which leads some in this House to say that families like mine are less stable, and we will build on Labour’s proud record of fighting for equality.

[Bell Ribeiro-Addy]

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s draft code of practice has caused uncertainty and anxiety among the trans and non-binary community. It has also left many workplaces, businesses and single-sex spaces confused about how they should proceed. Although I am pleased that the Government have not rushed ahead with the EHRC’s proposals, we urgently need guidance on how to remain trans inclusive while also protecting single-sex spaces. Will the Minister provide an update on where her Department is with the guidance, and what assurances and guidance she can give on single-sex spaces that will fully consider and guarantee the human rights of all trans and gender non-conforming people in the UK?

[Olivia Bailey]

I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. I absolutely recognise the anxiety felt by many trans people at the moment. The Government are clear, as was the Supreme Court judgment, that trans people are protected in law from discrimination and harassment. The independent EHRC has submitted a draft updated code of practice to Ministers, which we are reviewing with the care that it deserves. This will provide further guidance to service providers on how to meet their legal obligations.

[Rebecca Paul (Reigate) (Con)]

It has been 146 days since the Equality and Human Rights Commission laid the revised code of practice before Government. Have the Government asked the EHRC to make any changes to the code of practice? If they have, can the Minister tell us what they are?

[Olivia Bailey]

The EHRC is an independent body. We are engaging with it to ensure that the draft code provides clarity for service providers. It is crucial that providers have legally robust guidance on how to apply the Equality Act 2010, which is why we are considering it properly. We have always been clear that proper process must be followed so that service providers have certainty over these issues and are not placed in legal jeopardy again.

[Louise Haigh (Sheffield Heeley) (Lab)]

2. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the proposed prohibition of the use of non-disclosure agreements by employers in cases of harassment and discrimination.