Lord Foulkes asks charity to drop his name from legal letter over dog dispute

Lord Foulkes, a former Scotland office minister and Labour peer, has asked the Ethnic Minorities Law Centre to stop using his name in a legal letter connected to a case brought by Claire Kellerman. Kellerman, the adoptive daughter of the late actress Sally Kellerman, claims her assistance dog was denied entry to a café run by the Bernera Community Association in the Western Isles and is seeking £10,000 in damages. The letter, which Kellerman has shown to island businesses, cites the Equality Act 2010 and states that assistance dogs need no official registration.

Lord Foulkes, who resigned as the centre’s patron after its involvement in the dispute, said he has not attended meetings or participated in its work for eight years. He emphasized support from disability advocates who fear the case could undermine genuine assistance-dog rights. The Ethnic Minorities Law Centre has not commented on the request.