>With days to spare, the Equality Bill has gone through the House of Commons and that means it will now become the Equality Act.
Although the Lords knocked out the bit barring faith groups from refusing to employ LGBT people on the grounds of ethos, the rest remains intact. This includes the Economic Duty and Positive action, as well as giving same sex couples the right to celebrate their civil partnerships in religious premises.
The Bill will begin to take effect in the autumn and will be implemented in full over the next three years