Labour is pushing extreme anti-white theories, and the tragic legacy of Henry Nowak should mark the end of this, writes Esther McVey. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, is determined to impose these hard-left, anti-racism ideologies into schools through curriculum reforms. It is time to discard the Equality Act 2010, a piece of legislation that even George Orwell could not have imagined in his dystopian novel 1984. This Act gave rise to an Anti-Racism Commitment that rejects treating everyone equally or being colour blind. This twisted view of equality fostered a politically correct police mindset, leading officers to ignore the pleas of a white stabbing victim, Henry Nowak, because his attacker accused him of racism.
The origins of the Equality Act
The Equality Act 2010 was enacted in the final days of the Blair-Brown government, a last landmine before they left office. Only one MP, Philip Davies, spoke against it, describing it as 250 pages of gobbledygook that would reintroduce discrimination rather than enshrine equality. He was vilified by the left and the Blair-supporting media for questioning a law called Equality, branded a homophobic, sexist Neanderthal. But he had read the Act and was not fooled by its title. Labour has a history of mis-selling its legislation, such as the recent Employment Rights Act, already dubbed the Unemployment Act.
The rise of the EDI industry
The Equality Act was championed by human rights activists, including Tony Blair's wife Cherie, who benefited from a steady stream of work and income. It launched the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion industry, now worth $15 billion globally, creating spurious courses on white privilege and unconscious bias. With equality embedded in UK law, these courses became mandatory in Parliament, government, and corporate annual reports. Labour, whether led by Andy Burnham or Keir Starmer, will not abolish it. The party remains filled with human rights lawyers, and Harriet Harman, a key advocate in 2010, has returned to government. When asked, David Lammy, the Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, refused to take the knee for Nowak but did so for George Floyd, proving his party is not colour blind and has learned nothing from this outrage.
Expanding the Act's reach
Labour is now expanding the Equality Act's influence, incorporating it into employment rights reforms and requiring employers to allow unionised staff to participate in diversity programmes during work hours. Worse, Bridget Phillipson is pushing these hard-left, anti-racism theories into schools through curriculum changes, creating EDI plus. Henry Nowak's legacy must be to remove the insanity of anti-white racist policies from UK institutions, a cancer that has grown for 15 years. This must be a watershed moment.
Labour is currently expanding the Equality Act's reach, making it part of its Employment Rights reforms and requiring employers to allow unionised staff to take part in diversity programmes during working hours. Worse, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, is determined to push these hard-left, anti-racism theories into schools through her curriculum changes, creating EDI plus. Henry Nowak's legacy must be to remove the insanity of anti-white racist policies in our institutions in the UK – something that has been allowed to grow like a cancer for 15 years. This has to be a watershed moment.
