Diversity drive has backfired, warns Badenoch
White men should not be left worse off as result of inclusion policies, says minister
BRITAIN’S diversity drive has been “counterproductive”, Kemi Badenoch has said as she warned that inclusion policies must not come at the expense of white men.
The Business Secretary commissioned a report which found the majority of spending on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is a waste of money.
The report calls on bosses to take into account disadvantages faced by the white working classes when shaping diversity schemes rather than focusing on “visible” quotas.
It comes amid a wider government crackdown on wasteful diversity schemes, with Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, using his Budget earlier this month to urge councils to cut spending on such policies and Rishi Sunak appointing a “common sense minister”.
Writing for The Telegraph, Mrs Badenoch, who is also equalities minister, says: “The new report shows that, while millions are being spent on these initiatives, many popular EDI practices – such as diversity training – have little to no tangible impact in increasing diversity or reducing prejudice.
“In fact, many practices have not only been proven to be ineffective, they have also been counterproductive.”
She adds: “No group should ever be worse off because of companies’ diversity policies – whether that be black women, or white men ... Performative gestures such as compulsory pronouns and rainbow lanyards are often a sign that organisations are struggling to demonstrate how they are being inclusive.”
Mrs Badenoch commissioned the independent Inclusion at Work Panel last year to investigate whether EDI was working in Britain amid concerns that too much money was being spent on the schemes.
Diversity training aims to help staff understand the types of discrimination, including direct, indirect, harassment and victimisation, and how to treat others with respect.
The Business Secretary claimed that it has little impact in increasing diversity or reducing prejudice, pointing out that the number of employment tribunals hearing cases brought under the Equality Act has seen a “notable uptick”.
Experts also said that the “well-intentioned” attempts to boost visible diversity could lead to organisations breaking the law by discriminating against white candidates for jobs.
They found that one in four business leaders said their approach to diversity was reactive, such as being “in response to societal events like the Black Lives Matter protests” that started in 2020.
The report recommended that bosses avoid diversity schemes which alienate certain groups – such as the white working class – cause division, and have no impact, calling on the Equality and Human Rights Commission to clarify the legal status for employers in relation to diversity and inclusion practice.
The report called on bosses to take
into account disadvantages faced by the working classes when shaping diversity schemes, concluding: “Employers must also consider less visible diversity, including socioeconomic and educational background.”
Mrs Badenoch, who said last year that Britain is “the best country in the world to be black”, hits out at “snake oil” diversity schemes and tells firms that their equality strategies must uphold “fairness and meritocracy”. She says some firms had broken the law under the guise of diversity and inclusion by “censoring beliefs or discriminating against certain groups in favour of others”.
The report cited the example of Cheshire Police, which in 2019 had to pay out £100,000 after being found to have discriminated against a white applicant on the grounds of sexual orientation, race and gender.
The panel also highlighted the RAF’S discrimination against white men as part of its drive to improve diversity. Last year the force admitted that initiatives to increase the numbers of women and people from ethnic minorities had led to unlawful positive discrimination.
The independent panel said firms should ensure the number of EDI staff they have represents “value for money”, pointing out the UK appoints twice as many as any other country. Mrs Badenoch is considering a further crackdown on EDI spending in government, with possible curbs on external consultants.