Throwaway plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups will be banned under government plans to ramp up the war on plastic pollution.
- Senior barrister Jon Holbrook called Ruby Williams 'a stroppy teenager of colour'
- Miss Williams was repeatedly sent home from Urswick school over three years
- She got a £8,500 settlement after they said her Afro hair breached dress code
- But Mr Holbrook has been cleared of misconduct after tweeting about the case
A senior barrister who was kicked out of his chambers for calling a mixed race schoolgirl 'a stroppy teenager of colour' has been cleared of misconduct.
Jon Holbrook tweeted about the case of Ruby Williams, 19, who won an out-of-court settlement from her school for alleged discrimination after they sent her home, saying her Afro hair had breached dress policy.
She was awarded £8,500 last year after she was repeatedly sent home from Urswick School in Hackney, east London, over a period of three years, starting in 2014 when she was just 14.
Her case was brought by the Equality and Human Rights Commission under the Equality Act in 2018 and later featured in a video.
Commenting on the case, Mr Holbrook, a member of UKIP, tweeted: 'The Equality Act undermines school discipline by empowering the stroppy teenager of colour.'
Jon Holbrook (pictured), a senior barrister who was kicked out of his chambers for calling a mixed race schoolgirl 'a stroppy teenager of colour', has been cleared of misconduct
Ruby Williams (pictured) won an out-of-court settlement from her school for alleged discrimination after they sent her home, saying her Afro hair had breached dress policy
His former chambers, Cornerstone Barristers, asked him twice to remove the comments made in January and expelled him the following month when he refused.
But the Bar Standards Board has now concluded that Mr Holbrook was voicing his 'personal political opinion on a piece of legislation' and he has been cleared of misconduct.
The regulator found there was insufficient evidence to prove that 16 other tweets published between March 2019 and January this year had breached the bar handbook.
The regulator slapped him with a £500 fine and an official warning over another tweet which was said to 'promote hostility towards Muslims'.
The other tweet read: 'Free speech is dying & Islamists & other Muslims are playing a central role.
'Who will lead the struggle to reinstate free speech as the foundation of all other freedoms?'
His comments were made following the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty who showed his students Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The panel's verdict stated 'the ordinary reasonable reader would understand the tweet to mean that the Muslim community was to blame for curtailing free speech'.
She was awarded £8,500 last year after she was repeatedly sent home from Urswick School in Hackney, east London, over a period of three years, starting in 2014 when she was just 14
Commenting on the case, Mr Holbrook, a member of UKIP, took to Twitter to slam The Equality Act for 'empowering the stroppy teenager of colour'
It added: 'The Panel considered this would not only cause offence but could promote hostility towards Muslims as a group.'
Mr Holbrook has previously claimed he had resigned a few days before the decision was made to expel him following his tweet about Miss William's case.
In an article for The Critic, Mr Holbrook wrote: 'The only reason that chambers proceeded to expel me, despite my resignation, was because the salivating attack dogs wanted some red meat to chew.
'Chambers was compliant enough to jump to their barking but it made no difference to me – save to enhance my reputation as a free speech advocate.'
Speaking about his tweet, he also said that people who 'advocate a particular political view' must accept that other people are allowed to criticise it.
He previously said: 'I don't accept that a policy premised on reasonableness should be outlawed as discriminatory.
'Those, like Ruby's parents, who advocate a particular political view must accept the right of others to criticise it.
'Equality laws put considerable force on schools to accommodate cultural differences.'
Miss William's mother Kate responded to Mr Holbrook's tweet at the time, saying his comments claiming her daughter was in the wrong had highlighted the 'awful form of discrimination'.
But the Bar Standards Board has concluded that Mr Holbrook was voicing his 'personal political opinion on a piece of legislation'. Pictured: Ruby with her parents Lenny and Kate
Miss William's mother Kate responded to Mr Holbrook's tweet at the time, saying his comments had highlighted the 'awful form of discrimination'
She wrote: 'I am her mum and sent you a message a while ago. You didn't answer. Everyone else has said it all already but I wanted to say thanks.
'By trying to say she was in the wrong... you've actually highlighted this awful form of discrimination again. The world is changing!!!'
After the ruling, Mr Holbook said he planned to appeal the £500 fine, adding: 'The BSB's conduct in fining me for this tweet is deeply concerning.
'It challenges the two principles on which a free society is built.
'Firstly, that in a democracy everyone has the right to express a political point of view, save for limited exceptions with suitably high and clear thresholds.
'Secondly, the BSB has disregarded the rules of natural justice. I was originally charged but later exonerated for tweets that were 'designed to demean or insult' individual.
'I will appeal against the BSB's 'administrative sanction' and continue the fight for free speech, including for the right of barristers to play a full role in the political life of the nation.'
Derek Sweeting QC, from the Bar Council, said: 'No one doubts your right to express your opinions on social media but there is a constraint on your entitlement to do so.
The school previously said Afro hair should be of 'reasonable size and length', but following a complaint, the guidelines have been changed. Pictured: Responses to Mr Holbrook's tweet
'That is because you are a barrister and so subject to specific professional conduct rules which apply at all times.'
Miss Williams was repeatedly sent home from Urswick School in Hackney, east London, over a period of more than three years, starting in 2014 when she was just 14.
She was constantly policed by staff over her hair, according to her father Lenny.
Miss Williams, now 19 and a student at the University of Manchester, was awarded the out of court settlement back in January.
The school had previously said Afro hair, including buns, should be of 'reasonable size and length'.
But following a complaint, the guidelines now say only that hairstyles should be 'reasonable and should not impact on other students'.
After the case was settled, the school's governors said they regretted the offence caused but did not accept the school had intentionally discriminated against anyone.
Miss Williams previously said: 'Afro hair is a protected characteristic. We want the choice to wear our natural hair - like everybody else - without being judged.
'I don't know what people thought went on that makes them call me 'stroppy'.
'He [Mr Holbrook] seemed so proud to say it, showing how much privilege someone has to write whole articles on a topic they know nothing about.
'I'm just fighting for the same school rules that others have.'
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