discrimination
n. Treating a person less favourably than others on grounds unrelated to merit, usually because he or she belongs to a particular group or category. The Equality Act 2010 governs unlawful discrimination. As well as direct discrimination, this may involve indirect discrimination, victimization, or harassment. It is unlawful to discriminate on grounds of any of the “protected characteristics” in the Act: these are race, sex (including gender reassignment), pregnancy (and maternity), marriage (and civil partnership), sexual orientation, religion or belief, disability, and age.

The European Convention on Human Rights, which was brought into UK law by the Human Rights Act 1998, also contains, in Article 14, an anti-discrimination provision (“the prohibition of discrimination”). This makes unlawful any discrimination by public authorities on specified grounds that are wider than those outlined in the Equality Act in relation to any of the rights provided in the Convention. See age discrimination; positive discrimination; race discrimination; sex discrimination.

• use classes
• use of force
• user
• use upon a use
• usual covenants
• usufruct
• utilitarianism
• utility model
• uti possidetis
• utter Bar
• vacantia bona
• vacant possession
• vacations
• vaccine damage payment
• vagrant
• valuable consideration
• value
• value-added tax
• valued policy
• value received
• vandalism
• variance
• variation of trust
• variation to an estate
• ante litem motam