https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/house-of-lor...
Actions outside of parliamentary testimony are not protected .. but these have to be seperately observed | evidenced as the testimony cannot be used to convict.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/part/11/chapter...
Specifically outlaws having a policy of lowering the bar. You can only choose one protected character over another if they are equally qualified.
Specifically the guidance that comes with this says that its legally unwise to do anything past pipeline stage, once you have reached interviewing, its a bad idea. Its certainly something I'm not going to do.
Now, in the uk we do not have "affirmative action" thats an americanism. We do not need to import american racism issues, we have enough of our own.
I have worked in IT long enough, and recruited enough people to know that the people who complain about the "bar" generally are never privy to the actual data.
yes, which is why that kind of thing is illegal in the UK.
Proper DEI is about creating a decent pipeline of people, that includes outreach, or having training programmes for non-traditional juniors.
And, if done properly, its a great way to lower your wage bill, as you hire people at more junior levels and keep them longer. (you need to job hop to get good wage increases.) But that requires a commitment to develop your own team. (regardless of who they are)