Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 is the UK's consolidated anti-discrimination statute, replacing earlier laws including the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and Race Relations Act 1976. It prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimisation on nine protected characteristics including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

The Act applies to employment, services, and public functions across Great Britain and Northern Ireland (with some carve-outs). It became central to the Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill debate: cross-party legal advice in 2024 suggested that mandatory gender-zipping of closed party lists could conflict with the Act's protected-characteristic provisions, particularly in relation to candidates who might not fit a binary male/female sorting. This legal concern contributed to the Senedd's 40-12 decision on 24 September 2024 to withdraw the bill.

For the 2026 Senedd election the Act's withdrawal of the gender-zip bill leaves candidate-list ordering entirely to parties. Any voter or candidate who believes a party's list composition discriminates on a protected characteristic retains the right to challenge under the Act, but no such challenge has been mounted. The practical consequence is that women's representation in the new 96-seat chamber depends solely on voluntary party decisions.