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Race discrimination: Deselected Labour candidate can make race discrimination complaint

This report relates to 1 case(s)

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    Sawyer v Ahsan [1999] IRLR 609 EAT (1 other report)

    • Rejected candidate can sue

      Date:
      1 September 1999

      In Sawyer v Ahsan the EAT has ruled that an employment tribunal has jurisdiction to hear a complaint that the Labour Party can be sued for unlawful discrimination on racial grounds in respect of its selection process for candidates for the office of local government councillor.

An employment tribunal was correct in holding that it had jurisdiction to entertain an applicant's complaint that a regional committee of the Labour Party had discriminated against him on racial grounds in failing to select him as a Labour candidate for the local government elections, contrary to s.12 of the Race Relations Act 1976, says the EAT in Sawyer v Ahsan [1999] IRLR 609. The relevant committee's approval was at least "needed for" his engagement in what could be regarded for these purposes as the "profession" or "occupation" of councillor.