BREAKING: UK Government sued over lack of sign language interpreter at COVID briefings

Legal proceedings have been launched against the Cabinet Office over its failure to provide a British Sign Language interpreter for its coronavirus press conferences.

The application for a judicial review, which sees a judge rule on the lawfulness of an action by a public body, was filed on behalf of Deaf actress Katie Rowley on Friday.

Speaking to The Limping Chicken in October about the lack of an interpreter at the Government’s scientific briefings, the campaigner – known online as Katie J Redstar – said: “How can I look after not only myself my health problems but my unborn baby as well if I don’t have the information?

“It’s vital for everyone to have information that affects their health. I feel frightened [and] stressed, which isn’t good in pregnancy.”

The submission to the Administrative Court in Leeds, made by legal firm Fry Law, requests a court declaration that the Cabinet Office failed to meet obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

Under section 149 of the legislation, known as the Public Sector Equality Duty, public bodies must have “due regard” for advancing equality.

The application follows pre-action correspondence between Fry Law and the Cabinet Office since October, which failed to reach a solution.

It’s also the first judicial review to be submitted to the court on this matter. A case initiated on behalf of #WhereIsTheInterpreter founder Lynn Stewart-Taylor was paused at the pre-action stage in July, after the Government ended its daily briefings.

This latest development comes after the Cabinet Office revealed it is now funding BSL interpretation of the press conferences on their social media accounts – something which legal firm Fry Law said does not go far enough.

In a previous statement to The Limping Chicken, lawyer Chris Fry said: “As far as we’re concerned, there isn’t enough detail about where the information will be. Is the BBC no longer going to put BSL Interpreters on? Will the feed be shared with all broadcasters?

“Fundamentally, the Equality Act requires the Government to promote inclusion and we say they should have an interpreter on platform to do that, and to make the information universally accessible.”

Mr Fry added that he would give the Cabinet Office “one last chance” to provide an on-platform BSL interpreter, with legal proceedings launched this week if the Government failed to do so.

It is expected that Fry Law will hear whether permission for the judicial review has been granted in the new year.

Photo: Number 10/Flickr.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.

---

Update: In a statement to The Limping Chicken, #WhereIsTheInterpreter founder Lynn Stewart-Taylor said she is delighted and proud at the filing of the judicial review application.

“I’m proud of our sign language community and, especially as we are going through the pandemic, that we still stand up and take the fight for what we believe in.

“This has been going on for decades – fighting for our rights – and nothing changes,” she said.