A New Government: Our Hopes for a Renewed Focus on Equality

The past couple of years have seen a rise in toxic culture wars, with ‘woke’ being used as an insult, efforts to promote equality, diversity and inclusion attacked, and funding and support withdrawn. We hope the new government will bring an end to this, and that the Labour party will spearhead a shift where equalities work is valued again and there is a renewed commitment to social justice and respect for all. 

This blog post will explore some of the commitments that the Labour Party has already outlined in the King’s Speech, and finish with a call for organisations to seize this moment to develop their own manifesto to showcase their commitment to equality and fairness.  

Halving violence against women and girls

We welcome that the government has committed to halve violence against women and girls. The recent brutal murders of two sisters, Hannah and Louise Hunt and their mother Carol Hunt, brought the devastating outcomes of violence against women and girls into the spotlight, but, in the UK, a woman is killed by a man on average every three days and most of their stories go unheard.  

Halving violence against women and girls is a huge undertaking, we know that much domestic violence goes underreported and this violence is fed from a bedrock of misogyny and sexism, which is on the rise. New legislation and powers must go hand in hand with programmes that seek to address these underlying attitudes and behaviours. 

Increased protections from maternity and menopause discrimination 

Labour’s manifesto spoke about increasing “protections from maternity and menopause discrimination” but this was absent from the King’s speech. We hope that this will be included in the new Employment Rights Bill, which is also seeking to make parental leave, sick pay, flexible working and protection from unfair dismissal available from day one for all workers, important measures which will improve fairness for all workers.  

Reform of transgender rights

Furthermore, the government has said that they are looking to reform the onerous and deeply intrusive gender recognition law and to implement a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban. These commitments are both long overdue and are to be welcomed in a climate where the rhetoric towards trans people has been deeply toxic and harmful.

We look to the new government to put an end to the implication that there is a conflict between trans rights and women’s rights, scrap the harmful RSHE and gender-questioning guidance for schools, ensure that trans people are afforded access to inclusive healthcare and make sure that trans voices are prioritised and centred in decisions which affect them.

Equal pay for ethnic minority workers and disabled people

The government has also vowed to work towards ensuring equal pay for disabled people and people from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, which includes introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for larger employers. However, gender pay gap reporting has been in place since 2017 and hasn’t, on its own, had a marked impact on this. Reporting can be important in shining a light on the issues which exist, however, organisations need to actively commit to making positive changes, and be equipped with training and tools to make this a reality.

Changes to the asylum and immigration system

Whilst there is lots to be welcomed in this change of tone, there are still many areas which need to be strengthened or reconsidered. For example, the government has scrapped the cruel and unworkable Rwanda scheme and given notice of a new “Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill”, which will look to deal with criminals involved in immigration crime. It is important that people seeking refuge are not open to exploitation, but we are disappointed to see that there does not seem to be a plan to open safe and legal routes for those seeking asylum, which are desperately needed to fulfil our international obligations and to prevent people from being forced into the perilous sea crossings.

Showcase your organisations commitment to equality and fairness

In this climate of change, we encourage organisations to develop their own manifesto demonstrating their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion for all. A manifesto is a bold call to action which outlines your statement of principles. It allows employees, partners, service users, service providers, and the public to understand your values. Additionally, manifestos can challenge assumptions, help emphasise your priorities and works as the basis for long term positive changes. See below for our template manifesto, and you are welcome to share your manifestos back with us, we are always thrilled to see where organisations are driven to create practical and positive change.

Manifesto 2024 editable PDF template

Manifesto 2024 Canva template

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EqualiTeach provides training and consultancy services for businesses, local authorities, schools and education settings throughout the UK. If you would like support with promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in your school or organisation, please contact us.