LGB Alliance co-founder Alison Bailey loses latest legal challenge against Stonewall

Barrister and LGB Alliance co-founder Alison Bailey has lost her latest legal challenge against Stonewall, after the Court of Appeal dismissed her case in a judgment published today.

Bailey had argued that Stonewall instructed, caused, or induced Garden Court Chambers - her former chambers - to discriminate against her on the basis of her gender‑critical beliefs. Her claim followed an internal investigation launched by Garden Court in 2019 after complaints about her social‑media activity and her association with the newly formed LGB Alliance.

Although Bailey previously succeeded in a 2022 employment tribunal claim against Garden Court Chambers, which was found to have directly discriminated against her, all claims against Stonewall were dismissed.

In the latest ruling (NCN: [2025] EWCA Civ 1662), Lord Justice Bean, Lord Justice Newey and Lady Justice Whipple concluded that the tribunal had been entitled to find that Stonewall bore no legal responsibility for Garden Court’s actions.

The Court held that determining the complaint in a discriminatory way was the responsibility of Garden Court alone, and that Stonewall did not meet the statutory threshold for causing or inducing such discrimination.

The judgment marks the end of Bailey’s current legal avenues in relation to her claim against Stonewall. Her previous appeals have centred on whether Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Scheme created indirect or direct liability for discrimination - arguments the courts at every stage have rejected.

The full judgment is available on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.