Competition watchdog will not quit Stonewall diversity scheme

THE competition regulator has rebuffed pressure from ministers to join a growing number of government bodies quitting Stonewall’s diversity scheme – despite admitting that some staff were “concerned” by comments made by the charity’s chief executive.

The Competition and Markets Authority is understood to have insisted on continuing its membership of the equality charity’s “diversity champions” programme, in the face of political pressure to quit over value for money.

Following the intervention of Lord Callanan, the business minister, The Sunday Telegraph understands that the Insolvency Service and the Coal Authority have joined the Business Department, BBC, Cabinet Office and Ministry of Justice in ending their subscriptions.

Their decisions came after the Cabinet Office said that departments should not routinely use “external assurance and benchmarking organisations”.But Andrea Coscelli, the CMA’s chief executive, has insisted that the regulator will retain its £3,000 per year subscription to the scheme. Dr Coscelli claimed Stonewall provided valuable advice.

But he admitted that remarks by Nancy Kelley, Stonewall’s chief executive, in June 2021, had offended staff. Ms Kelley was accused of effectively likening “gender-critical beliefs” – that sex is biological and cannot be changed – to anti-Semitism and discrimination against disabled people.

A government source claimed that bodies such as the CMA viewed participation in Stonewall’s scheme, which publishes diversity rankings, as “almost a woke validation of how diverse these bodies are”. Its advice has included guidance on pronouns and genderneutral facilities.

The source added: “We shouldn’t be handing out taxpayers’ money to a woke campaigning organisation. They are perfectly entitled to campaign for this nonsense but not with taxpayers’ money.”

A Stonewall spokesman said: “Our diversity champions programme focuses on helping organisations to build an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace for their employees.”

A CMA spokesman said: “The CMA is committed to an inclusive and respectful working environment for all our staff.

“We are a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme but we do not endorse every comment made by individuals at Stonewall, just as we would not do so for any other organisation with which we have a relationship.”

‘They are perfectly entitled to campaign for this nonsense but not with taxpayers’ money’