05/08/2026
⚖️ Protected beliefs do not give employers a free pass to dismiss employees.
In University of Bristol v Miller, the Employment Tribunal held that Dr David Miller's dismissal was unfair, wrongful and amounted to direct belief discrimination.
🗣️ Dr Miller, a Professor of Political Sociology, publicly expressed strong anti-Zionist views. The Tribunal found that his opposition to Zionism, as he defined it, was a genuinely held philosophical belief protected under section 10 of the Equality Act 2010.
📌 The Tribunal concluded that the University dismissed him because of the expression of that protected belief and that dismissal was a disproportionate response. A lesser disciplinary sanction would have been sufficient.
❗ However, the Tribunal also found that some of Dr Miller's comments, particularly those directed at named student groups, went beyond simply expressing his protected belief and amounted to misconduct. As a result, his compensation for unfair dismissal was reduced by 50%.
📖 On appeal, the Employment Appeal Tribunal largely upheld the decision. The only issue sent back to the Tribunal was whether there was a 30% chance that Dr Miller would have been fairly dismissed at a later date because of subsequent social media posts. The EAT found that the Tribunal had not adequately explained that conclusion.
💡 Key takeaway: Employees are protected from discrimination because of their philosophical beliefs, even where those beliefs are controversial. However, the manner in which those beliefs are expressed may still amount to misconduct and can affect the compensation awarded, even where the dismissal itself is found to be unlawful.
