Badenoch to propose scrapping public sector equality duty
8 reported
Kemi Badenoch will vow to scrap the duty on public bodies to consider how they can promote equality, according to a press release from the Conservative Party. The Tory leader will use a speech on Tuesday to commit to scrapping the public sector equality duty (PSED), a legal requirement obliging those bodies to think how they can improve society and promote equality. Badenoch, who was Conservative minister for equalities between 2020 and 2022, will claim that “dangerous and divisive agendas” are being advanced through the use of this key section of the Equality Act. The move is part of her campaign against what she describes as “identity politics” and an attempt to position her party between Labour and Reform UK. The Conservatives said in a press release that public bodies from the police to the Bank of England are using PSED to advance dangerous and divisive agendas. Scrapping the PSED would be opposed by groups and individuals across society because of the consequences in areas related to race, disability, religion and pregnancy. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHCR) said the PSED is not a barrier to organisations doing their jobs and is there to help them make good decisions.
What’s reported
Kemi Badenoch will vow to scrap the public sector equality duty (PSED) in a speech on Tuesday.
Badenoch was Conservative minister for equalities between 2020 and 2022.
The Conservatives said public bodies from the police to the Bank of England are using PSED to advance “dangerous and divisive agendas.”
The Bank of England announced it would replace historical figures on bank notes with animals, birds and insects, a move the Bank said was driven by a public consultation.
Political tensions remain high a week on from violence on the streets of Southampton after the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak.
Downing Street has rejected the Trump administration’s claims of “two-tier policing” in the UK.
Claire Coutinho, shadow minister for equalities, said identity politics should be taken out of public life.
The EHCR said the PSED is not a barrier to organisations doing their jobs and helps them make good decisions.
Key figures
Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader and former minister for equalities
Claire Coutinho, shadow minister for equalities
Henry Nowak, 18-year-old student murdered in Southampton
Keir Starmer, prime minister
Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader
Andrew Dinsmore, barrister supporting the culture and integration commission
Sources: The Guardian
