Judge me on what I do, says new EHRC chair after transgender groups’ criticism

‘It’s really important for the chair of the EHRC to uphold the rights of everybody across all protected characteristics,’ Mary-Ann Stephenson said. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

The new chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has asked campaigners who raised doubts about her appointment to “judge me on what I do”.

In one of her first media interviews since her appointment at the start of December, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson pledged to “uphold the rights of everybody across all protected characteristics”, after the UK government overruled the objections of parliament’s women and equalities committee about her suitability for the job.