Suella Braverman to have Home Office diversity training vetted after ‘woke’ claims

Home Secretary Suella Braverman will be vetting the diversity training courses being provided to Home Office staff following claims that the department has gone “woke.”

According to leaked documents seen by The Guardian, the Home Office has made plans to put a pause on courses that appear to contradict the government’s policies, including training on critical race theory.

The draft documents, entitled “Home Office Guidance: Ways of Working for Delivering Diversity and Inclusion Learning”, reportedly suggest that diversity training courses should be signed off by senior managers who will assess which are deemed compulsory or voluntary for their team, based on whether they support the Home Office priorities of “reducing crime, strengthening homeland security, legal migration, and the border, and tackling illegal migration.”

The leaked documents read: “We are taking the opportunity to ensure all the learning provided is relevant, meaningful, and impactful in a positive way, helping to deliver our objectives. We also want to ensure it is consistent with the values of the Home Office and wider civil service.”

It is understood that these documents were distributed among staff in late August, shortly after news headlines alleged that the Home Office was becoming“woke” and a “soft touch” in light of their diversity training courses.

There are concerns among staff that this proposal to roll back on staff courses will contradict the Home Office’s pledge to boost diversity and inclusion training following the Windrush scandal.

Diversity and inclusion training was one of the top recommendations made by Wendy Williams’ 2020 Windrush Lessons Learned review, which laid out steps that should be taken by the Home Office to avoid another scandal.

Speaking to the Guardian one insider from Whitehall said: “The proposals looks like a kneejerk reaction. You have to wonder if the department is ditching Wendy Williams’ reforms to appeal to Suella’s supporters, just in time for the Tory party conference.”

Of the rumoured changes, a spokesperson for the Home Office said: “It is right that our diversity and inclusion policies and programmes are constantly reviewed. We are looking at our processes to ensure any training meets the needs of the department, our people and delivers value for money for the British taxpayer.

“All Home Office staff are completely committed to righting the wrongs of Windrush and any claims to the contrary are wrong.”

• Dec 01 2023

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