A new law designed to protect people from double discrimination has been proposed by the government.

Anti-discrimination laws currently state that people can only bring separate discrimination claims regarding one ‘protected’ characteristic, such as age, gender, ethnicity or religion.

The new clause would allow someone to make claim for a combination of these in an effort to fight against stereotyped attitudes towards particular groups, like black women, or Asian men.

Solicitor General and Equality Bill Minister, Vera Baird said: “People’s identities are multi-faceted and complex, and we are delighted to bring forward an amendment to the Equality Bill which would reflect this.

“Business will benefit if all the issues in one case can be dealt with together and there will be better access to justice for all.

“Protection against “dual discrimination” would be a progressive step forward and confirm our place as a world leader in the fight against discrimination and disadvantage.”