Reshuffle: Alistair Darling in charge of gay policies

By Benjamin Cohen • May 5, 2006 - 0:00

Alistair Darling has been moved to become Trade and Industry secretary

21 Comments on Reshuffle: Alistair Darling in charge of gay policies

The current Transport secretary, Alistair Darling has been moved to become Trade and Industry (DTI) secretary. He now has overall responsibility for the Women and Equality unit together with the implementation of the Civil Partnerships Act as well as the introduction of the Equality Bill later this year.

The new of the Trade and Industry secretary will therefore wield a huge impact on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community.

Earlier this year, PinkNews.co.uk revealed that the introduction of the Equality Bill as law, gay bars may no longer be able to bar entry to straight customers. In a memo leaked to the Sunday Times, junior DTI minister Meg Munn said: "Some gay bars employ door staff who may screen potential customers wishing to enter by asking them questions designed to establish their sexual orientation or familiarity with the local gay scene." The leaked memorandum states. "If customers were turned away only because their answers to these questions indicated that they were straight, this could be discrimination.

"A gay bar would still legitimately be able to turn away customers who they believed might be disruptive, or might wish to enter the bar to cause trouble."

Mr Darling will face gay Conservative Alan Duncan, who is shadow secretary of state for Trade and Industry.

Mr Darling was once named the most boring politician in Britain in a poll for portal CyberBritain.com.

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