Make Accents a Protected Characteristic under the Equality Act 2010
Currently, the UK constitution offers protection for minority groups under the Equality Act of 2010. Unfortunately, accent is not included as a characteristic within this despite the discrimination. 28% of Britons feel they have experienced prejudiced due to their accent.
Signatures
24
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 24/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 24/100,000
- 13 SEPT 2025Petition closedFinal total: 24 signatures
- 13 MAR 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
To alter the Equality Act would simply be a piece of secondary legislation which could be carried out be Bridget Phillipson MP (Minister for Women and Equalities, Secretary of State for Education). In a society which is becoming increasingly diverse and aims to break down barriers, accent is holding us back. Received Pronunciation or the Queen's English is most notably favoured by many, including employers, taking away opportunities from those with more defined accents.