London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 16, 2025

Allison Bailey: Barrister labelled transphobic, tribunal hears

Allison Bailey: Barrister labelled transphobic, tribunal hears

The views of a barrister were labelled "transphobic" in a colleague's email, a tribunal has been told.

Allison Bailey is suing her chambers and LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, arguing she was unlawfully discriminated against due to her view that sex is biological and cannot change.

Ms Bailey, who is a lesbian, argues her employer wrongly treated her views as transphobic.

Her law firm, Garden Court Chambers (GCC), rejects the claims she makes.

The tribunal heard that on 14 December 2018, GCC family law barrister Stephen Lue sent an email to employees to let them know the firm was becoming a "Stonewall Diversity Champion".

Under the scheme, the chambers paid Stonewall for continuing advice on how to create an inclusive workplace.

Ms Bailey opposed the move. She argued via email that Stonewall was involved in "harassment, intimidation and threats" made to anyone who opposed its viewpoint - a claim the charity rejects.


'Dirty transphobic laundry'


The tribunal heard that Ms Bailey wrote: "There are many of us within the LGBT community who fully support trans rights but who do not support the trans-extremism which is currently being advocated by Stonewall and others.

"I emphatically object to any formal association with Stonewall."

The following day, GCC barrister Michelle Brewer sent an email to Mr Lue, in which she wrote: "Great, now Allison's wholly unfounded allegations are going to be aired... nothing like washing our dirty transphobic laundry in public."

Ms Bailey alleges that as a result of her treatment, her income was "substantially reduced" in comparison to previous years, "most notably to 2018".

She says the central London law firm "withheld instruction and work" from her following these interactions.

Ms Bailey has raised about £500,000 to fund her legal case.

The GCC has said that it "strongly refutes" the claims made against it and that following an investigation in 2019 into complaints made about Ms Bailey's social media posts, it was concluded that no action against her was necessary.

The tribunal, being held at Central London Employment Tribunal at Victory House, continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
×