Early evening summary
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he will not be talking about a US-UK free trade deal when he meets Joe Biden tomorrow, implying that he no longer views this as an ambition. (See 5.04pm.)
Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, has said the review announced today into allegations about the Teesworks freeport scheme will be “an utter whitewash”. (See 5.29pm.)
Labour chair Anneliese Dodds suggests Equality Act not safe under Tories
Anneliese Dodds, the Labour party chair and shadow secretary of state for women and equalities, has suggested the Equality Act is not safe under the Conservatives. In a speech to the UK in a Changing Europe conference today, she said:
Thirteen years after Labour passed that landmark legislation, it is still protecting people in countless ways every day. The legal framework it provides against discrimination by employers, businesses, schools, public bodies and many other institutions is one that many other countries still lack and look to learn from.
This was a legislative achievement that cemented our country’s reputation as a beacon of equality at the time, and of which my party is still rightly proud 13 years on. Perhaps this is why Conservative ministers have started to take aim at the Equality Act with increasing regularity. From criticising protected characteristics to describing the Act itself as a “Trojan horse”, what started out as a few political pot shots against this groundbreaking law is in danger of becoming a creeping barrage, with worrying consequences for the future of equality in the UK.
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