Well after the my response from Ms Baird MP, I emailed my MP again who responded promptly restating my two main points and promising to ask for clarification on these. A couple of days ago I got a response and here it is:
Dear Julie,
Regarding [me]
Thank you for your letter of 23rd June to the Vera Baird QC MP on behalf of the constituent Ms Goodwin concerning the Equality Bill. I am replying as the Minister responsible. I am sorry for puting you to the inconvenience of having to write a second letter as our first reply did not fully answer your constituent’s concerns. This was due to an administrative error.
On your constituent’s first point, if a mother was asked to stop feeding her child and leave a cafe, she will know that the law is on her side and this should give her the confidence to challenge the cafe owner by pointing out that he or she is treating her in a discriminatory manner. However, if for any reason she feels unable to do this, she can bring a discrimination claim against the cafe owner before the county court. Information and help on bringing a claim can be obtained from local Citizens Advice Bureaux, local Law Centres or the Equality and Human Rights Commission helpline.
With regard to her second point, the Equality Bill provides protection across specific areas – work, goods, facilities, services, public functions, premises and associations/private clubs. As is the case with discrimination law now, it therefore does not apply to exchanges between individuals in a personal or private capacity such as passers by in the street.
I hope this information is helpful to your constituent
Michael Foster DL MP
Well by omission I surmise that yes, she has to leave the cafe if she is asked, and no, it provides no protection against individuals harassing her. That just isn’t enough. Women and babies need more protection than that.
[Edit - just to clarify, I should have said that she may have the legal right to stay in that cafe, but she has nobody to protect that right at the time. I will be writing to my MP again for further clarification but as I understand it she has no right to call the police to back her up, and what use is the law without that right for an already vulnerable woman. As far as I am concerned, unless the legal system supports this right properly, as long as it is up to her to argue alone and push her case through the legal system, she does have to leave]