The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) updated services Code of Practice came into force on 5 August 2026 having received UK ministerial approval and been laid before UK Parliament, following a UK Supreme Court ruling, on 16 April 2025, that the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 should be interpreted as biological sex.
The Code provides practical guidance on how the Equality Act 2010 applies to services, public functions and associations. It explains the steps that they should take to ensure people are not discriminated against, harassed or victimised in relation to the protected characteristics set out in the Act.
The updated Code does not make new law or create any new legal obligations. It provides legally accurate, impartial and up-to-date guidance on the existing law: to help everyone understand it, organisations comply with it, legal advisers interpret and advise on it, and courts and tribunals apply it.
To support this, the EHRC has published the statutory guidance on its website: Code of practice for services, public functions and associations | EHRC.