UK firms ‘misallocate £10bn’ on HR departments, report says Economics The UK’s human resources sector is twice the size of the EU’s and has led to firms misallocating as much as £10bn in capital, new research has suggested. A paper on the cost of diversity and equality agendas on businesses has argued that HR departments have grown at a disproportionate rate, with the UK having [...]
‘Woke’ banknotes: Bank of England orders money printer to follow ESG rules Economics The Bank of England is facing backlash over its plans to make a new banknote printer comply with ESG and diversity standards under a “pass or fail” regime. Bank officials have attracted criticism from shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith over their plans to make applicants for the UK’s new money printing contract follow stringent criteria [...]
Tories slam Bank of England for ‘outrageous’ internship scheme Politics The Bank of England is facing criticism over an internship scheme open only to candidates of “black or mixed black heritage”, with Tory frontbenchers labelling the approach “outrageous.” The Bank has drawn the attention of senior MPs as well as Tesla owner Elon Musk for advertising a position that pays £96.15 per day over eight [...]
FCA’s diversity requirements go ‘far beyond remit’, report warns October 21, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other public sector diversity initiatives go “far beyond” remits set by legal requirements, a report has warned, prompting Reform UK to vow to reset systems to reward “talent and merit alone”. Analysis in a paper by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has suggested that diversity policies advanced by [...]
Debate: Is the civil service’s working class internship scheme a step forward? August 6, 2025 As of October, the civil service's main internship scheme will be restricted to applicants from a working class background. Is this progress?
Financial services firms expected to dump green finance and DEI June 18, 2025 The financial services industry is taking a dramatic step back from green finance and diversity policies. Over half of UK senior financial professionals believe their leadership will place less focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies in the coming years. Meanwhile, a similar proportion, 54 per cent, believe diversity, equality and inclusion commitments will [...]
Nigel Farage criticises DEI and says men ‘sacrifice’ more for jobs than women March 28, 2025 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has criticised diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and argued men “sacrifice their family lives” for their careers more than women. Speaking at an event in Parliament, the MP for Clacton-on-Sea argued that more men used to be at the top of boardrooms because “the country was white men”. Addressing [...]
Rumours of the death of DEI have been greatly exaggerated February 19, 2025 Donald Trump and Elon Musk may be dismantling DEI in the States, but in Britain and Europe it remains buried deep. We must root it out or risk being left poor, defenceless and exposed, says James Price A few years ago, the term ‘vibe shift’ entered the online lexicon. Broadly, it describes a moment of [...]
Goldman Sachs scraps diversity rule that ‘served its purpose’ February 12, 2025 Goldman Sachs has scrapped a diversity rule which barred it from advising all male, all white boards on company flotations. The now-ditched rule stated the investment bank would only help a business sell its shares on a stock exchange if it had two board members that fitted diversity requirements – one of whom had to [...]
AIM-listed companies stall on gender diversity February 11, 2025 AIM-listed companies have been accused of having their “head in the sand” when it comes to ensuring gender diversity on company boards after new research revealed representation to have stalled. The number of women holding directorships in AIM companies remained at one in six over the last year, according to an annual gender diversity report [...]