Petition · past parliament · Cabinet Office
Change the Equality Act 2010 to make regional accent discrimination unlawful
Closed
38 signatures
What the petition asks
The Act protects against discrimination because of race, nationality and ethnic origins. However, because people with different regional accents may share the same nationality or race, when 'comparators' are applied, regional accent discrimination is not unlawful.
The part of the UK a person comes from should also be a protected characteristic, so any discrimination due to regional accents is also unlawful.
This Act's purpose, which is protecting individuals from unfair treatment and promoting a fair and more equal society, is not met when people are discriminated due to their regional accent.
As Lady Hale commented in 2006: "a protected characteristic is either immutable or so fundamental to human dignity that a person should not be compelled to change it". Regional accents meet this test.
Accent discrimination can affect individuals' mental health, wellbeing and livelihood.
This Act's purpose, which is protecting individuals from unfair treatment and promoting a fair and more equal society, is not met when people are discriminated due to their regional accent.
As Lady Hale commented in 2006: "a protected characteristic is either immutable or so fundamental to human dignity that a person should not be compelled to change it". Regional accents meet this test.
Accent discrimination can affect individuals' mental health, wellbeing and livelihood.
Timeline
| 8 Dec 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 8 Jun 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
38
Status
Closed
Department
Cabinet Office
Opened
8 Dec 2020
Closed
8 Jun 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.