Prime Minister’s COP26 address comes with BSL interpretation – just days after legal threat

Boris Johnson’s latest press conference at the COP26 climate summit has come with an on-screen British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, a week after the Cabinet Office received a pre-action letter from lawyers threatening a judicial review.

The Prime Minister’s address in Glasgow on Wednesday was available with a sign language interpreter on the BBC News Channel and government social media accounts – unlike previous conferences held at the start of COP26 on Monday and Tuesday last week.

In a statement responding to the lack of access at the start of the conference, Deaf presenter and #WhereIsTheInterpreter founder Lynn Stewart-Taylor said she could not believe the community has been “totally ignored again”.

“Sign language people messaged me straight away, including a deaf teaching assistant concerned about the lack of access for sign language children that meant they were unable to follow the COP26 announcements. The government has failed us,” she said.

The inaccessible addresses came despite the UK Government being found to have broken the Equality Act by failing to provide an interpreter for two COVID data briefings last year – following a legal challenge from Deaf actress Katie Rowley.

While an interpreter could be seen placed over the top of the live video from Scotland, the decision not to provide one on-platform has been questioned by the lawyer who filed the pre-action letter last week.

Chris Fry, who represents Lynn in the challenge, told The Limping Chicken: “[I am] delighted to see that a week after the letter of claim we have seen some progress. I look forward to finding out why it took further legal proceedings to encourage compliance, and to learning why an on platform interpreter was not chosen.”

Meanwhile, Lynn took to Facebook to say it was “fantastic” to see an interpreter on-screen.

“Please continue the high standard, providing [one at] each event,” she wrote, before responding to one commenter to say it was “a very good question” why the interpreter wasn’t in the same room as the Prime Minister.

The Limping Chicken has contacted the Cabinet Office for comment.

Photo: 10 Downing Street/YouTube.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.

---

Update – 12/11/21 – 11:30: After approaching the Cabinet Office for comment, The Limping Chicken was directed to a COP26 spokesperson who said: “We have worked to ensure the inclusion of BSL sign language to host broadcast for COP Presidency press conferences and events all this week, following its provision for the opening ceremony.”