Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch will vow to get rid of “identity politics” in British public life in an equality laws overhaul.
Later today the Tory leader will outline her plans to abandon rules requiring public servants, such as police, nurses and teachers, to consider equality issues as part of their daily work.
She will say the party will dismantle the public sector equality duty, a legal requirement which requires all public entities to assess how their operations impact people with protected characteristics, the Times reports.
Mrs Badenoch will point the finger at “expansive” and “open-ended requirements” of the Equality Act 2010 which has led to public bodies treating people differently depending on their characteristics.
Legal obligations, she will say, is what has stoked “identity politics” and a fixation on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies throughout the public sector.
Police forces are spending millions of pounds on DEI initiatives and hiring specialists in the space, which has come under fierce scrutiny following the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in December last year.
He died in police custody after his killer accused him of being racist.
Mrs Badenoch met with Mr Nowak’s family last week and said they all agreed “common sense” needed to be brought back to policing.
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Claire Countinho: ‘We have to kick-out identity politics’
Claire Countinho Shadow Minister for Equalities has backed Kemi Badenoch’s plans to rid identity politics from public life.
Speaking to GB News, she said: “We have to kick-out identity politics. We should be stopping crime, not fixating on how we should treat ethnic minorities differently.”
The Tories would stand up to the US on social media, says Claire Countinho
Claire Countinho Shadow Minister for Equalities said the Conservatives would go head-to-head with the US over banning social media for under-16s as they are all about “protecting British children”.
Speaking to GB News, she acknowledged the Government should protect freedom of speech among adults, but for children, they do not need such freedoms and require greater protection online.
Daisy Cooper asks GB News: ‘Whose side is Keir Starmer on?’
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper weighed in on President Donald Trump’s comments on the UK potentially implementing a social media ban for under-16s.
Speaking to GB News, she said: “I think our Prime minister is probably on his way out. He’ll be thinking about his legacy. And I think he’s got a very simple question to ask himself. Whose side is he on?
“Is he on the side of British parents and children who need to be protected online, or is he on the side of Elon Musk and Donald Trump?
“We haven’t seen the details of what the government are proposing, and we will look at those details when we can see them. But quite frankly, we need a prime Minister that can stand up to the big tech giants.”
Trump administration warns Keir Starmer against imposing social media ban on millions of Britons
The Trump administration has warned Sir Keir Starmer against imposing a social media ban on millions of Britons.
In a submission to the Government’s social media consultation published by the US Embassy in London, the White House said it was not in favour of “broad social media bans” for Britain’s roughly 13 million under-16s.
The statement published by the US Government said: “The United States does not categorically oppose age assurance measures, but we urge careful consideration of their scope and implementation.”
It added: “We favour narrowly targeted requirements primarily with respect to pornographic and adult commercial content (e.g., online gambling, tobacco sales, alcohol sales), rather than broad social media bans.”
Read Peter Steven’s full story here.