R (On the Application of Motherhood Plan) v HM Treasury [2021]

The applicant is a charity which campaigns for the rights of women and mothers.  They brought judicial review proceedings against the respondent in relation to the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).  SEISS was brought in to provide support for those who were self-employed and had been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The claim was that the scheme had breached Article 14 (the prohibition on discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights when taken in conjunction with Article 1, Protocol 1 which was the free enjoyment of possessions.  This was based on the grounds of sex with the argument being that those who had taken maternity in the