Welcome to the weekly equality and diversity news. Catch up here with news of significance and relevance to equality and diversity. Highlights of this round-up include – racist tram woman, government action plan for transgender equality and is there really no alternative to cutting disabled and ill people’s benefits?

You have most probably seen or read about this by now – racist tram woman in custody until 3 January. If ‘racist tram woman’ doesn’t ring a bell, read this report on the arrest of a woman who was shot on the camera while allegedly hurling racist abuse at passengers on a tram from Croydon to Wimbledon. You may also find this article in the Guardian interesting that ponders on whether arresting the woman is the right way forward.

Meanwhile, the Home Office has announced longer jail sentences for murders motivated by hostility to a transgender person. The starting point used by the judge to set the tariff – or minimum term – will double from 15 to 30 years. It was confirmed that the 30-year minimum would also apply for murders motivated by hatred towards a disabled person.

This change came as the first ever government action plan to advance transgender equality was launched. Watch Lynne Featherstone talking about the plan on YouTube.

And finally, here’s a comment piece by Zoe Williams in the Guardian on how the government is failing to protect disabled and ill people’s benefits. She writes specifically about the misconstrued logic of the proposals for employment support allowance (ESA) in the welfare reform bill.
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Have something to add? Please write to equality.and.diversity@lse.ac.uk