Trevor Phillips, the Chairman of the government’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, was yesterday in the dock charged with discrimination by a member of his own staff. Irish-born Brid Johal (an aide to the aide of Phillips) accused the Chairman of over-looking her for promotion as a result of her going on maternity leave.
This does not look good for the Commission, which has, over the last year, undergone a succession of internal disputes and allegations of financial irregularities. Indeed, since this time last year the Commission has lost 34 members of permanent staff, including the CEO and three members of the Board. Lord Ousley, who was Mr. Phillips' predecessor at the Commission for Racial Equality, is on record stating that the EHRC is not ‘performing its role effectively’.
Given that the taxpayer forks up over £70m a year to run the body, and that we pay Mr. Phillips £110,000 a year for a three-and-a-half-day week, perhaps it’s high time that this failing super-quango received its much deserved quietus.