Equality’s lasting appeal finds form in the Magna Carta

“Bad” King John, the villain of every Robin Hood tale, is an unlikely candidate for the creator of a document that has shaped our ideas of individual rights and freedoms for 800 years. And it’s true that when he pressed his royal seal onto the Magna Carta in 1215, he was not being driven by altruism; far from it, the charter was the only way he could preserve his rule.

Despite this inauspicious beginning, buried within the dense text was a genuinely visionary thought. “To no one delay right or justice” – that is to say, everybody is equal before the law. Eight hundred years later, this concept is at the heart of modern society. It inspired the authors of the US constitution and underpinned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

But, for all this progress, too many people around the world, including in Hong Kong, continue to suffer discrimination for reasons such as who they love, where they come from, the colour of their skin, their gender or their religion. This is simply unacceptable.

This is not some academic debate. It has real impact on people’s lives. It is not always an easy journey, but the UK has a good story to tell. As recently as 1991, being gay was still a bar to entry to Britain’s diplomatic service. No longer. Last year, the same-sex marriage act came into force in the UK.

Just last week, our prime minister announced that leading employers from across the public and private sectors had pledged to recruit on a “name blind” basis to address discrimination.

As Lieutenant General James Everard, commander of the UK land forces, said recently, “diverse teams, well led, give you a breadth of understanding and capability you don’t get in any other way”.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s economic powerhouses, and a dynamic, global city. But it risks falling behind on diversity and equality – at a time when Hong Kong is trying to diversify its economy, attract global talent and become more creative. That is why we welcome the work of the Equal Opportunities Commission to study the feasibility of legislation against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status, and look forward to reading their report in the new year.