Is belief in “English Nationalism” a protected characteristic under the terms of s10 Equality Act 2010? Not in the opinion of the Employment Tribunal in Mr S T Uncles v NHS Commissioning Board and others [2017] UKET 1800958/2016.

Mr Uncles brought a series of complaints arising out of the termination of his agency work with the first respondent with effect from 6 May 2016, including unfair dismissal, breach of contract in relation to notice, unlawful deductions from pay and complaints of discrimination or harassment related to race, sex and philosophical belief. The claimant described himself as English, and the philosophical belief on which he relied was a belief in English nationalism [1]. It is the last of these that concerns us here. At the time of his dismissal, he was facing a prosecution for electoral fraud which he had not disclosed to his employers [118]. Continue reading →