Reform’s plan to scrap Equality Act puts 500,000 pregnant women at risk

Politics
6 May 2026 • 9:16 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Reform’s plan to scrap Equality Act puts 500,000 pregnant women at risk

  • Reform UK's plan to scrap the Equality Act could leave up to half a million pregnant women without workplace protections annually, according to new analysis.
  • The Equality Act 2010 legally safeguards individuals, including pregnant women and new mothers, from discrimination in employment and wider society.
  • Charities like Pregnant then Screwed and the Women's Budget Group warn that repealing the Act would “wipe out decades of progress” and have “catastrophic effects”.
  • Reform UK proposes replacing the Equality Act with a 'Workplace Fairness Act' but has not detailed what protections this new legislation would include.
  • Critics highlight a contradiction between Reform UK's pro-natalist views and their plan to remove protections that could deter women from starting families.

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