UK – Context

UK – Major Events Timeline

UK – Significant Strategy, Policy, Legislation (SPL)

UK – Significant – Strategy, Policy, Legislation (SPL)

Link	Description
1976: UK Event – UK Government – The Race Relations Act	The Race Relations Act 1976 was a UK law that made racial discrimination unlawful in areas like employment, education, and the provision of goods and services. It defined indirect discrimination, created the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), and allowed individuals to take discrimination cases to industrial tribunals or civil courts. Although the Act has since been repealed, it established key principles for race equality in Britain and was a crucial piece of legislation in the country's race relations history.
1998: UK Government – Report of the Consultative Steering Group on the Scottish Parliament ‘Shaping Scotland’s Parliament’	The Scottish Parliament was founded on four key principles outlined by the Consultative Steering Group (Scottish Government, 1998): 1) Power Sharing, 2) Accountability, 3) Access and Participation, 4) Equal Opportunities.
2000: UK Government – Race Relations (Amendment) Act	The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 extended the Race Relations Act 1976 to include public bodies, requiring them to proactively promote race equality, eliminate discrimination, and foster good race relations, and also made police chief officers vicariously liable for the discrimination committed by their officers. This act aimed to raise standards and lead to sustainable change within the public sector by requiring authorities to have realistic plans to meet their obligations.
2010: UK Event – The Equality Act 2010	The Equality Act 2010 consolidated the previous legislation around preventing discrimination and improving equality of opportunity and good relations. The Act applies to both the private and public sectors; however, there are additional provisions for the public sector, and guidance has been published by the UK Home Office Equalities Unit. The previous legislation on ethnicity included the Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000), which amended the earlier Race Relations Act 1976.
2017: UK Event – The Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan 2017 – UK	The Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan 2017 set out the business and moral case for inclusive and diverse boards of public bodies.
2017: UK Government – The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017	The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 are a set of regulations in England that require public bodies, such as higher education institutions, to meet a public sector equality duty (PSED). These regulations mandate that these bodies publish information annually to show how they are complying with the PSED and set specific equality objectives every four years. The specific duties, which replaced the 2011 regulations, are designed to help public bodies better integrate equality considerations into their policies, services, and decision-making processes.
2019: UK Event – The Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan 2019 (UK)	Public appointments, which involve individuals holding senior positions in public bodies, are crucial for direction and leadership. The Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan 2019 (and likely subsequent plans) aimed to improve representation of minority ethnic individuals in these roles
2022: UK Event – UK Government – Inclusive Britain strategy (UK)	The Inclusive Britain strategy sets out 70 actions to tackle racial disparities, boost opportunity and promote fairness.
2023: UK Event – Public Order Act 2023	Concern was raised that the UK Public Order Act 2023 may disproportionately impact individuals from ethnic minority communities. The Scottish Human Rights Committee note that whilst controls on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the UK Public Order Act 2023 do not apply in Scotland, “the Commission is concerned about individuals who travel to England and Wales to join protest activity”(Scottish Human Rights Committee (SHRC), 2024, p. 11).
2025: UK Government – Consultation on Mandatory Ethnicity and Disability Pay Gap Reporting (UK)	This consultation is seeking views on how to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for large employers (those with 250 or more employees). Responses to the consultation will help to shape proposals which will be included in the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech in July 2024.
2025: UK Government – Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill (UK)	The 2025 UK Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill aims to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers (250+ employees) and strengthen the right to equal pay for ethnic minority and disabled people. The government conducted consultations on these proposals in March-June 2025 to gather evidence and views, which will help shape the final version of the Bill, expected to be published later in the parliamentary session.
2025: UK Government – The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill (UK)	A Bill to make provision about border security; to make provision about immigration and asylum; to make provision about sharing customs data and trailer registration data; to make provision about articles for use in serious crime; to make provision about serious crime prevention orders; to make provision about fees paid in connection with the recognition, comparability or assessment of qualifications; and for connected purposes.
2025: UK SPL – Planning and Infrastructure Bill	A Bill to make provision about infrastructure; to make provision about town and country planning; to make provision for a scheme, administered by Natural England, for a nature restoration levy payable by developers; to make provision about development corporations; to make provision about the compulsory purchase of land; to make provision about environmental outcomes reports; and for connected purposes.