She was questioned by 17 members from both houses on race, disability, Islamophobia and transgender rights.
The next day, the chairs of the two committees that interrogated her at Westminster wrote to the Government opposing her selection, saying she “did not provide sufficient evidence to convince us that she has yet acquired the skills and leadership experience necessary” for such a role.
Those involved included Baroness Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, and the respected human rights lawyer Baroness Kennedy; some were stunned by the banal answers they heard.
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, the Government’s preferred candidate for Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
Bridget Phillipson, the Education and Equalities minister, ignored their objections to appoint Stephenson last week with “utmost confidence” as chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Yet it raises important issues extending far beyond the arrogance of an ambitious minister. For what is the point of a state watchdog if it simply serves as a government poodle? And why continue with an equalities quango if it ignores some of the most marginalised groups in society while driving open toxic divisions?
The key reason Stephenson was handed this high-profile job seems to be that she played an active role for a decade supporting “gender-critical” views, signing letters accusing trans activists of seeking to silence cis women and aligning herself with prominent figures on one side of a brutal debate.
Sadly, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has come to be seen as a partisan in this battle. Its chair, Kishwer Falkner, took a tough line in response to the Supreme Court’s April ruling that legal definition of a woman refers only to biological sex, furthering the fissures on this issue.
Bear in mind that Baroness Falkner was chosen by the now-discredited Liz Truss during her stint as minister for women and equalities, when she sought to shift this agenda in line with her own views. Other commissioners picked included a prominent anti-migration campaigner and an entrepreneur who claimed feminism was “obsessed with female victimhood”.
The EHRC is meant to fight for equality, not become embroiled in culture wars. Yet it has a disturbing history of failing to stand up effectively for people with disabilities, especially the 1.5 million citizens with learning disabilities who remain largely excluded from mainstream society with often tragic consequences.
square JAMES COWLING Voters don't raise transgender rights on the doorstep – culture wars won't work for the Tories
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Earlier this year I sent a freedom of information request for Falkner’s statements and speeches on autism, disability and learning disability since her appointment in December 2020. The results showed the body’s insouciance towards a community that faces often-profound struggles, from accessing transport through to obtaining jobs and state support.
What a strange contrast to the speed and vigour with which Falkner delivered her zealous interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling on trans rights, proclaiming a victory for common sense. Now we see her successor is someone who seems set to follow a similar path.
At a time when abuse, bigotry and racism are so rampant and societal divisions so pervasive, the dismal Equality and Human Rights Commission needs to start living up to its name – or shut up shop.
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