The Act protects against discrimination because of race, nationality and ethnic origins. However, because people with different regional accents may share the same nationality or race, when 'comparators' are applied, regional accent discrimination is not unlawful.
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The part of the UK a person comes from should also be a protected characteristic, so any discrimination due to regional accents is also unlawful.
This Act's purpose, which is protecting individuals from unfair treatment and promoting a fair and more equal society, is not met when people are discriminated against due to their regional accent.
As Lady Hale commented in 2006: "a protected characteristic is either immutable or so fundamental to human dignity that a person should not be compelled to change it". Regional accents meet this test.
Accent discrimination can affect individuals' mental health, wellbeing and livelihood.