Reform has pledged to repeal the Equality Act.
It’s hard to overstate how serious that is.
The Act protects people from discrimination at work and in wider society. It underpins equal treatment for women, disabled people, people of colour, LGBTQ+ communities, people of faith and pregnant women. Repealing it would strip away hard-won protections that have stood for more than a decade.
But alongside the outrage is something even more dangerous.
The claim that scrapping the Act will somehow “fix” Britain is deeply misleading. It suggests that equality protections are the root of our problems. They are not. That is a red herring.
Complex social and economic challenges cannot be solved by tearing up anti-discrimination law. To pretend otherwise is not serious politics. It is a calculated distortion designed to win votes by fuelling division.
This is the deeper threat.
When parties can make sweeping claims without clear evidence, without workable plans, and without consequence, democracy is weakened. When political gain depends on exaggeration and misdirection, public trust collapses.
A democracy cannot function if truth is optional.
That is why Compassion in Politics is campaigning so strongly for real legal reform to stop political lying. Not guidance. Not warm words. Laws with teeth.
Because if politicians are free to mislead the public with impunity, then voters cannot make informed choices. And without informed choice, democracy itself is at risk.
We cannot shrug this off as “just politics”. The health of our democratic system depends on honesty.
If you believe truth in politics is worth protecting, please support this campaign.
Will you become a monthly supporter with £5 a month to help us push for laws that hold politicians to account?
If a regular gift isn’t possible, would you consider making a one-off donation today?
This is about more than one party or one policy. It is about defending the integrity of our democracy.
With resolve,
Compassion in Politics