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The former health secretary was found to have failed to comply with public sector equality duty rules when hiring Baroness Harding and one other appointee.

The peer was made interim executive chair of the National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP) in August 2020 and Mike Coupe, a former colleague of Baroness Harding, was given the role of director of testing for NHS Test and Trace (NHSTT) in September 2020.

Independent think tank the Runnymede Trust took action claiming that only those from a close group of contacts could be appointed.

Lord Justice Singh and Mr Justice Swift said in a written ruling: “It is the process leading up to the two decisions which has been found by this court to be in breach of the public sector equality duty.

“For those reasons we will grant a declaration to the Runnymede Trust that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care did not comply with the public sector equality duty in relation to the decisions how to appoint Baroness Harding as interim executive chair of the NIHP in August 2020 and Mr Coupe as director of testing for NHSTT in September 2020.”

Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, an independent race equality think tank, said after the ruling: “The judgment handed down today by the High Court is incredibly significant to the British people.

“It shows the importance of the public sector equality duty and its role in protecting the people of this nation from the closed shop of Government appointments, not least in a time of national crisis where people from our minority communities were dying from Covid in hugely disproportionate numbers.”

Campaign group the Good Law Project joined the trust in making complaints – arguing that the Government had not adopted an “open” process when making appointments to posts “critical to the pandemic response”.

However, their claim was dismissed.

The Good Law Project, run by notorious activist Jolyon Maugham, raised tens of thousands of pounds to help crowdfund their part of the legal challenge to the appointments.

Mr Maugham was one of the QCs who launched legal action against the Government in 2019 over the prorogation of Parliament.

His case successfully forced the House of Commons to reopen, allowing MPs vote to demand Boris Johnson request a Brexit extension.

It delayed the UK’s leave date by three months.

Despite the Good Law Project’s claim being rejected, Mr Maugham hailed today’s ruling on Mr Hancock failing to follow public sector equality duty as an important victory.

He said: “Change doesn’t happen, things don’t get better for those who are disadvantaged, unless those in power care.

“That means making sure they ask themselves: ‘how do I level society up for the disabled and ethnic minorities?’

“And it means taking the time to find the best people – not the best-connected people – for the job.”

Mr Hancock has not yet responded to the court’s ruling.

More to follow…

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