The former HSBC banker who lost his £5m tribunal case, claiming he was fired for being gay, has been granted leave to appeal.
In May a tribunal found that HSBC had discriminated against Peter Lewis but he was not dismissed because he was homosexual.
Lewis, former head of HSBC’s global equity trading business, was sacked for gross personal misconduct in February 2005 after an alleged sexual harassment incident at the bank’s gym, which he denies.
At the time of the original tribunal Lewis said his sexuality had provoked a “considerable amount of interest and comment” in the City, claiming some workers felt it was “inappropriate that someone occupying such a senior position should be gay”.
“Others would make homophobic comments either directly to me or, more usually, behind my back to my manager or colleagues,” he said. “The situation has improved but discrimination and homophobia in the financial services industry has not been eliminated.”
Lewis told the original tribunal that he had made a recording of his disciplinary appeal hearing because he said he thought he was “being stitched up” and had “lost all trust and confidence in the appeal process”.
HSBC’s human resources manager, Natalie Hattrell, said the bank had followed “entirely correct procedures” when it dismissed Lewis.
