Civil servants ‘erasing women from new laws’
MINISTERS have accused civil servants of erasing women from new laws, as Downing Street prepares a crackdown on the spread of “militant wokery” in Whitehall.
This week, the Government is expected to announce that it is rewriting guidance on drafting legislation to make clear that gender-neutral language should not replace terms such as “woman” and “mother”. The move follows a cross-party revolt over a government Bill last year that referred to pregnant “people” instead of “mothers”.
A government source said ministers were concerned that “militant” guidance issued by Stonewall, the equality charity, had “crept into the civil service with a political agenda to erase woman and the concept of biological sex”.
The use of gender-neutral language in legislation is the latest area in which senior Tories have sounded the alarm over a growing threat to women’s rights. Last month, the equalities watchdog ruled that trans women can be excluded from female-only changing rooms and lavatories, after many organisations asked the watchdog for guidance surrounding single-sex spaces, amid pressure from trans campaigners.
The Cabinet Office is expected to announce that ministers have rewritten Whitehall-wide guidance on drafting legislation to make clear that terms such as women must not be “cancelled” by officials. A government source said: “We want to see tolerance and respect for all, but women should not be erased or cancelled from public discourse – including Parliament’s own laws.
“Whilst the government supports the desire to avoid stereotypes on positions of authority, gender-neutral language such as ‘pregnant people’ undermines women and their experiences.
“Ministers are determined to push back on the spread of militant wokery
idea. Instinctively I don’t like it. I just think we’ve got to be really careful.
“As a country, we have a very hardwon but strong reputation on being pro-business, welcoming investment.
“Businesses like certainty and there’s no such thing as pure certainty, but when it comes to taxes, [we’ve] got to be really careful with these sudden taxes that could have an impact in the long term that we would come to regret.”
Sam Rowlands, the Tory Senedd member, who was interviewing Mr Javid on stage, responded: “I think those points will certainly be welcome in this room among Welsh Conservatives, so thank you for making those.”
Voter research conducted in Whitehall found a windfall tax was popular among the public, with as many as eight in 10 backing the tax raid on energy companies who have enjoyed unexpectedly increased profits after prices spiralled in recent months.
Lord Lamont, the Tory former chancellor, said he was “not very favourably inclined” towards a windfall tax. He said: “Conservative governments have introduced them before but I think they introduce an element of uncertainty.”
Mr Sunak is attracted to the idea of a windfall tax that would offer firms different rates based on how much money they are prepared to invest in new energy infrastructure in Britain, according to The Sunday Times.