Clause 9
Equality Bill
11:45 am
Vera Baird (Solicitor General, Attorney General's Office; Redcar, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman suggests that we have not outlawed discrimination on the basis of colour before today, which is an outrageous and bonkers suggestion. The briefing—which I think the hon. Gentleman needs to read again—states that we have changed where the burden of proof lies. The directive separated colour and nationality from ethnic or national origin, and put the burden of proof in tribunal proceedings on one side for one group, and on the other side for another group. Discrimination on the basis of colour and nationality, as the hon. Gentleman knows, has been outlawed in this country for a generation. There is no extension in the definition, which is what we are talking about. When we come to talk about the burden of proof, I will explain to the hon. Gentleman how it has been extended. The definition has not changed.