2 weeks Ago
The chair of the government's equality watchdog, who was appointed by Liz Truss and investigated after a series of complaints by staff members, is to be given a further 12-month term in the post, the Guardian understands. The decision to reappoint Kishwer Falkner as chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has left some staff members angry, after they had hoped a Labour government might change the organisation's leadership. The announcement of Falkner's new term will be made by the government's Women and Equalities Unit (WEU) later on Wednesday, it is understood.
The unit is led by Bridget Phillipson, who is the equalities minister as well as the education secretary. Lady Falkner, a cross-bench peer who was given the job in 2020, when Truss was the minister for equalities, has denied any wrongdoing, with allies saying she has been unfairly targeted by some staff owing to her approach to trans rights. However, others in the EHRC say the complaints against her, understood to come from about 12 staff members or former.
.. Peter Walker.
