Kishwer Falkner, Baroness Falkner of Margravine

The Right Honourable The Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 December 2020
Preceded by	David Isaac
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 June 2004 Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	Kishwer Khan (1955-03-09) 9 March 1955 (age 69) Pakistan
Nationality	British
Political party	Non-affiliated[a]
Other political affiliations	Liberal Democrats
Spouse	Robert Falkner ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	1
Alma mater	London School of Economics University of Kent

Kishwer Falkner, Baroness Falkner of Margravine (née Khan; born 9 March 1955) is a British politician and life peer who is a non-aligned member of the House of Lords. She was the Chairman of the EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee in the House of Lords from 2015 to 2019.^[1]

Prior to her ennoblement as a life peer on 2 June 2004,^[2] Falkner worked for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons and party headquarters including as Director of International Affairs and Director of Policy. She also worked at the Commonwealth Secretariat and as Chief Executive of Student Partnerships Worldwide. In February 2008 she was appointed as the inaugural chancellor of The University of Northampton.

She is currently a member of the Bank of England's Enforcement Decision Making Committee.^[3] She is also a visiting professor at The Policy Institute at King's College London and an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.^[4]

In December 2020, she became chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).^[5][6] Her appointment led to criticism both from her predecessor and staff members who said EHRC had become politicised and transphobic during her tenure.^[7][8][9] Other people have said that she is reversing the "politicising" of her predecessor.^[10]

Life

Kishwer Falkner was born in Pakistan to a Muslim family who had left India at partition. After living and working in the Middle East, Italy, France and Germany, she moved to the UK in the late 1970s. Falkner was educated at convent schools in Pakistan, the London School of Economics where she obtained a BSc (Econ) in International Relations and the University of Kent where she obtained an MA in International Relations and European Studies.^{[citation needed]}

Political career

She joined the Liberal Democrats in the mid-1980s and worked for the party in several posts till 1999. Falkner contested Kensington and Chelsea in the 2001 General Election and was on the Liberal Democrats list for London in the 2004 European elections.^[11]

Falkner was the Liberal Democrats’ Director of International and European Affairs for several years, co-authoring much of the Party's policy on the European Union, and coordinating a joint response for European Liberals on issues related to Europe's structures and place in the world. Falkner also worked for the Commonwealth Secretariat, where she continued to work on the broader issues of globalisation, democracy and development. In 2003–04, Falkner was chief executive of a charity working with young people in some of the poorest parts of Africa and Asia.^{[citation needed]}

EHRC head

On 1 December 2020, she became chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).^[5][6] In November 2024, Bridget Phillipson, the equalities minister, announced that Falkner’s four-year term would be extended for a further 12 months, with a new chair being sought to take office after Falkner's extended term ends.^[12]

Transphobia controversy

Falkner and the EHRC under her leadership have come under criticism from trans and other LGBTIQ+ organisations following comments she made in May 2021 to The Times, in which she said that women had the right to question transgender identity without fear of abuse, stigmatisation or loss of employment.^[13][14] Her predecessor as EHRC chair, David Isaac, said the commission was politicised by the Conservative Party during her tenure.^[9][15] Several former and current staff members of EHRC described the public body as "transphobic," "anti-LGBT+" and an "enemy of human rights" during Falkner's tenure, and media reported that several staff members had resigned in protest of EHRC's "descent into transphobia."^[8][7] EHRC was also criticised for holding private meetings with groups that said critics characterize as "anti-trans", such as gay activist group LGB Alliance and the feminist organization Fair Play For Women.^[16] Scottish National Party MP John Nicolson, deputy chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights in the UK Parliament, said: "Sadly the EHRC appears now to be working against, not for, LGBT rights. Our community no longer see it as our friend but as our opponent. It's yet another organisation tainted by Boris Johnson and his appointees."^[8] However others defended Falkner including Janice Turner in The Times who said: "Falkner is accused of politicising the EHRC, yet in fact she is merely depoliticising her predecessor’s regime. Her first act was to withdraw the EHRC from the Stonewall Champions scheme, which had meant that under her predecessor David Isaac (ex-chairman of Stonewall) a government body whose core mission is to balance all human rights was following rules set by one lobby group alone."^[17]

Investigation

In May 2023, a lawyer was appointed to investigate complaints against Falkner. The complaints were made by current and former staff at the EHRC. The nature of the complaints has not been disclosed.^[18] In May 2023 the investigation was suspended "following a backlash from 54 peers and outcry across the political spectrum".^[19][20] The investigation restarted in July 2023^[21] but was closed in October 2023, following an independent review of the Commission's handling of complaints, initiated by the Minister for Women and Equalities, with Falkner remaining in her position as Chair.^[22][23][24]

Electoral history

General election 2001: Kensington and Chelsea^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Michael Portillo	15,270	54.5	+0.9
	Labour	Simon Stanley	6,499	23.2	–4.7
	Liberal Democrats	Kishwer Falkner	4,416	15.8	+0.5
	Green	Julia Stephenson	1,158	4.1	N/A
	UKIP	Damian Hockney	416	1.5	N/A
	ProLife Alliance	Josephine Quintavalle	179	0.6	New
Majority			8,771	31.3	+5.6
Turnout			28,038	43.3	–11.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.8

Explanatory notes

1. As a member of the House of Lords

References

1. "Baroness Falkner". Retrieved 7 January 2020.
2. "No. 57309". The London Gazette. 7 June 2004. p. 7059.
3. "Appointment of members of the Enforcement Decision Making Committee: Baroness Kishwer Falkner". Bank of England. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
4. "National Secular Society Honorary Associates". National Secular Society. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
5. "Four new commissioners appointed to board of Equality and Human Rights Commission". Scottish Legal News. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
6. "New Equality and Human Rights Commissioners appointed". GOV.UK. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
7. "Staff quit UK's so-called equalities watchdog en masse over descent into 'transphobia'". PinkNews. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
8. "Staff Are Quitting Britain's Equality Watchdog the EHRC Due to 'Transphobia'". Vice. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
9. "The EHRC is becoming a political instrument, former Chair says". Institute of Employment Rights. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
10. Turner, Janice (7 July 2023). "Foul tactics won't move determined Falkner". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
11. "Results & Constituencies - General Election 2001". BBC News. June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
12. Walker, Peter (13 November 2024). "UK equality watchdog chair at centre of staff complaints to be given new term". theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
13. "Human rights body leaves Stonewall diversity scheme". BBC News. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
14. "EHRC Open Letter". Retrieved 16 October 2021.
15. "EHRC undermined by pressure to support No 10 agenda, says ex-chair". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
16. "UK's so-called equalities watchdog 'held private meetings with anti-trans groups'". PinkNews. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
17. "Staff quit UK's so-called equalities watchdog en masse over descent into 'transphobia'". The Times. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
18. Siddique, Haroon. "23 May 2023 Chair of UK's equality watchdog being investigated after staff complaints". theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
19. Somerville, Ewan. "Victorious equality chief says 'we need to say less and do more'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
20. "Equality and Human Rights Commission says it has 'paused' independent investigation into chair Baroness Falkner". channel4.com. Channel 4. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
21. Siddique, Haroon (18 July 2023). "UK equality watchdog restarts inquiry into bullying claims against chair". theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
22. Swinford, Steven (24 October 2023). "Human rights chief cleared after row over her trans views". The Times. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
23. Martin, Daniel (24 October 2023). "EHRC boss Baroness Falkner's job is safe after trans activists tried to 'hound her out'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
24. "Update on the Equality and Human Rights Commission's handling of concerns regarding Baroness Falkner". 24 October 2023.
25. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.