The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has come under fire for requiring defence firms to agree to woke conditions such as 'fighting climate change' before securing multi-million-pound contracts, the Mail on Sunday can reveal. In the latest instance of Whitehall wokery, the MoD mandates that companies bidding for cyber defence contracts must 'tackle eco-inequality' as part of their agreements.
Key Performance Indicators Published on Christmas Day
The contracts are governed by 'key performance indicators' (KPIs) that were quietly published on Christmas Day. These KPIs are dictated by the department's 'social value model', which includes priorities such as 'wellbeing' and 'economic equality'. If suppliers fail to meet these targets, they risk having their contracts terminated, being 'named and shamed', and even disqualified from future work.
Political Backlash
Last night, Alex Burghart MP, the Conservative Party's Cabinet Office spokesman, criticised the move. He stated: 'Across Whitehall, billions of pounds of public contracts have been quietly captured by a woke agenda. While our adversaries are rearming, Labour has made 'tackling eco-inequality' a key performance indicator for defence contracts. It is completely unserious and at this rate, we'll end up with Net Zero defences.'
Mandarin officials claim the new priorities ensure public money 'yields wider societal and economic benefits'. However, the politically correct rules now account for 10 per cent of ministers' decisions over which suppliers to use.
Wider Implications Across Government Contracts
It is not just defence contracts where these KPIs have raised eyebrows. Farming companies must employ '50 per cent women or non-binary staff', and education suppliers should have a 'zero gender-pay gap'. Sub-contractors working in export financing have to show '33 per cent multicultural representation' in their advertisements, compared to the national average of below 20 per cent. The Home Office even demands that asylum guards provide 'customer satisfaction with cultural sensitivities'.
Expert Criticism
Fred de Fossard, of the Prosperity Institute and author of its paper 'Woke Capitalism in Britain', said: 'Government procurement is increasingly used not to purchase competent services, but to socially engineer behaviour on issues ranging from gender balance to climate ideology.'
An MoD spokesman defended the approach, stating: 'We are applying the social value model so it is more relevant for UK defence, ensuring contracts are appropriately incentivising suppliers and helping drive growth.'
