From Watchdog to Attack Dog: The EHRC’s Betrayal
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is broken. Captured by political interests, overrun by ideologues, and silent on human rights violations, it no longer serves the people it was created to protect.
At its core, the EHRC has become a tool of government strategy: strip back trans rights, then shield the damage behind the façade of an “independent” body. But the pretence of neutrality is gone. Under the leadership of Chair Kishwer Falkner, with support from commissioners like Akua Reindorf, the EHRC has abandoned its duty to uphold equality and now fuels the government’s culture war agenda.
Akua Reindorf: A Walking Conflict of Interest
Reindorf’s appointment was already contentious. But her record since joining the EHRC has made one thing clear: she cannot continue in her role. Her views are not compatible with the EHRC’s stated remit to uphold human rights.
In a recent article in The Guardian, Reindorf stated that trans people must now “accept reduced rights” after what she claimed were “years of lies” about UK gender law. This wasn’t a technical legal interpretation. It was a judgement, one that positions trans people as dishonest and undeserving.
But Reindorf’s actions speak even louder than her words. Her legal career shows a consistent pattern of defending gender critical ideology in court:
Represented LGB Alliance, an anti-trans lobby group, in a case defending its charitable status against Mermaids.
Acted for James Esses, dropped from a psychotherapy course after making public anti-trans statements.
Represented Dr. Almut Gadow, a lecturer who refused to teach gender inclusive materials and claimed religious discrimination.
Defended Julie Bindel in a case arguing her anti-trans views led to event cancellation framing this as a free speech violation.
Supported Women’s Rights Network, a group mounting legal challenges to self-ID policies in women’s services.
These aren’t isolated clients. They’re all part of a coordinated legal and cultural movement pushing to roll back trans rights. Her place at the EHRC is untenable. You cannot act as a legal advocate for exclusion one week and pretend to be an impartial equality commissioner the next.
Kishwer Falkner: The Destruction Was Deliberate
Baroness Falkner hasn’t just mismanaged the EHRC. She has dismantled it.
Under her leadership:
The EHRC has withdrawn support for gender recognition reform in Scotland, citing “legal uncertainty” that trans rights groups had already clarified.
It quit the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme, a long standing inclusion programme under pressure from gender critical campaigners.
It’s held private meetings with LGB Alliance, Sex Matters and other anti-trans organisations, while systematically excluding trans led groups.
Internal whistleblowers reported that the organisation was politicised, with staff resigning over a toxic, anti-trans working environment.
The Commission stopped being a shield for the vulnerable and became a shield for the government. Its advice now functions as a legal smokescreen, a way for ministers to deflect criticism while eroding protections.
Falkner is not just a weak leader. She’s actively turned the EHRC into an instrument of harm. That damage will take years to undo.
Labour’s Silence: Complicity Through Cowardice
The Conservative government set the EHRC on this path. But Labour is now complicit through silence.
This is the same party that, in 2019, pledged to reform the Gender Recognition Act, introduce non-binary recognition, and make the UK a safer place for LGBTQ+ people. Since then:
Labour has abandoned self-ID reform.
Starmer and other senior figures have refused to challenge the EHRC, despite growing evidence of its ideological bias.
Labour MPs have echoed gender critical talking points in public while dodging questions on trans rights in private.
By refusing to stand up to the EHRC, Labour has allowed it to operate with impunity. This isn’t political caution it’s moral failure. Trans people are being targeted, excluded, and misrepresented by the very body meant to protect them. Silence is not neutrality. It is complicity.
A Captured Institution
The EHRC is no longer a human rights watchdog. It’s a compromised body, staffed and led by individuals who do not believe in the basic rights of the people they’re meant to protect.
Its next government preferred Chair Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson is reportedly someone with similar ideological leanings to Falkner showing this isn’t an accident. It’s a strategy. Stack the institution with gender critical ideologues, use it to justify regressive policies, and let it take the blame when backlash comes. This is deliberate state capture.
What Needs to Happen Now
Reindorf must step down. Her conflicts of interest and clear bias make her unfit to serve.
The EHRC must be rebuilt, not reformed, but dismantled and re-established with independence, community trust, and lived experience at its heart.
Political parties must show courage. Any party that claims to support LGBTQ+ rights must challenge EHRC’s failures, not quietly benefit from them.
This is bigger than trans rights. It’s about whether the UK has a functioning, impartial equality body at all. Right now, we don’t. And if that doesn’t scare you, it should.
Sources and Further Reading