Sara Morrison v BFF - thread 6

[SexRealismBeliefs]

Sara Morrison v Belfast Film Festival - Employment Tribunal that took place on 10th to 21st November 2025.

It was live tweeted by Nick Wallis. Tribunal Tweets weren't allowed remote access, and no remote viewing was possible.

Background here:

https://genderblog.net/sara-morrison-v-belfast-film-festival/

Well it’ll be out by June just like this judgment.

Dont forget though that Northern Ireland doesn’t have the Equality Act 2010, just lots of different legislation and there is a view the Supreme Court Judgment in FWS doesn’t apply here.

The ECNI has referred itself for judicial review to confirm the situation so more of a legal muddle than GB. We can’t lament non implementation of FWS because we still have to prove it matters.

https://genderblog.net/morrison-judgment-delayed-again/

This should have been a straightforward judgement. I can only assume we have a perverse judgement in tbe offing and the judge is struggling with the word salad to justify it.

If I remember correctly, wasn't this The One With The Fake Professor? And she stepped back from the tribunal panel, mid-way into the proceedings? Could that be delaying the judgement in any way?

How on earth can it take this long? It's a tribunal judgement¹, not a baby.

¹ And really not a difficult one.

You do remember correctly, but it shouldn't cause delay. The ex member has no further involvement, and at the stage she stepped down wouldn't have left any 'work in prgress' to be dealt with. If anything it should be quicker to make a decision with a panel of 2 than of 3.

Nick Wallis reports the lady judge was on personal leave for three months which explains part of the delay.

I think that she identified as a judge too🙄

What a shitshow. Amongst many others.
That Judge was so full of her own importance too. I hope that when it lands it is at least more coherent than Judge Kemp and his invisible learned friend.

Nick Wallis has posted on his blog that Sara didn’t win her Tribunal.

https://genderblog.net/morrison-loses-tribunal-claim/?utm_source=noptin&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Post%20Notification%20-%20Morrison%20Loses%20Tribunal%20Claim

It’s not online as yet.

Absolutely appalled by this. I have no words. Poor Sarah.

That's dreadful. Poor, poor Sara. Sadly, I'm shocked but not surprised at this judgment as I think a lot of us were deeply unimpressed by the tribunal panel at the time.

The tribunal panel were a strange bunch and it was all very Royston Vasey N.I. version. I'm so sorry Sarah if you are reading this.

Oh thats shit, Im so sorry for Sara.

Just seen Nick Wallis's blog on this. I am very disappointed for Sara but not really surprised given the conduct of the tribunal generally.

Hmm. Calling lawyers: was this really "the question for the Tribunal"? Doesn't this open the door to "oh, we're not prejudiced, it's just that our customers are, so we have no choice but to avoid employing black people" and the like?

93. The tribunal has considered whether the claimant was treated less favourably than the hypothetical comparator identified at paragraph 68, namely an employee occupying the same role as the claimant whose circumstances were the same or not materially different save that they did not hold the claimant's political opinion. The tribunal accepts that the email arose directly from the claimant's public speech and the views expressed within it. The question for the tribunal is whether the treatment complained of occurred because of the claimant's political opinion or because of concerns arising from the perceived impact of the public controversy upon the respondent organisation and the claimant's role within it.
94. The tribunal finds that a hypothetical employee occupying the position of Inclusion and Diversity Officer who had publicly expressed a different political opinion, but whose public comments had generated a similar level of concern among stakeholders and Board members regarding the organisation's reputation, stakeholder relationships and confidence in the employee's ability to fulfil the role, would have been likely to attract similar discussion. In particular, the tribunal finds that consideration would similarly have been given to whether that employee should continue to participate in a specific project pending resolution of the matter. The tribunal is satisfied that the focus of the email was not the claimant's political opinion as such but the perceived consequences arising from the public controversy and its potential impact upon the organisation.

Oh that’s very bad news. I’m so sorry for Sara. Is it appealable, does anyone with more knowledge than me, think?

Really sorry to hear this. Sara, if you're reading this, sending solidarity.

That tribunal was a farce from start to finish.

Interesting timing. The NI Assembly and the UK Parliament now are both in recess(?).

7 1/2 months to come to a decision!

There are some very unworldly people who work in the judiciary.

That tribunal was a mess and I really hope Sara appeals.

Fair point - if there is no case to answer on all fronts they’d have known that in November and then written it up quickly.

Seven plus months says - I needed time to forget the evidence and the do a white wash.

Sorry - I just read to the end.

Judgement here

https://genderblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/83-23FET-and-Others-Morrison.pdf

Is it normal that she’s put her wet signature on it?

I had read through her previous judgments at the time and haven’t seen that.

Maybe she’s particularly proud of this??

Terrible news. I’m so sorry, Sara.

Just putting this here.

https://jkrwf.org/

What a farce. I do hope she appeals.