Badenoch to Scrap 2010 Equality Duty as Labour Prepares New Civil Service Strategy
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 8
Badenoch to Scrap 2010 Equality Duty as Labour Prepares New Civil Service Strategy
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 8
Summary
Kemi Badenoch will use a Tuesday speech to call for abolishing the Public Sector Equality Duty, saying the rule has turned major public decisions into a legal "minefield".
The 2010 duty requires schools, hospitals and other public bodies in England, Scotland and Wales to consider discrimination and equality impacts when making decisions.
Conservatives say the measure underpins DEI bureaucracy and divisive identity politics, a push sharpened after Henry Nowak's murder and scrutiny of the police response.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission defended the duty as a tool for better decision-making, while Reform UK said Badenoch's plan does not go far enough and Liberal Democrats called it culture-war politics.
Labour is moving in the opposite direction, preparing an equality and diversity strategy that will put socio-economic background and working-class progression at the center of civil service reform.
Why does the government use an equality law to justify reforms while simultaneously planning to abolish that very law?
If the UK scraps its equality duty, what legally prevents another Windrush-style scandal from happening?
Badenoch’s Plan to Abolish the PSED: What It Means for Equality, Public Service, and British Politics in 2026
Overview
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, plans to abolish the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), arguing that it has created an 'obsession with diversity' that distracts public servants from their main responsibilities. This move has strong support from Ameer Kotecha, who claims the PSED has 'warped Whitehall' and turned important tasks like recruitment and promotion into 'box-ticking exercises.' Supporters believe scrapping the PSED will refocus the public sector on real results, while critics warn it could undermine efforts to ensure fairness and equality in public services. The debate highlights a deep divide over the future direction of equality laws in the UK.