Government departments removed from Stonewall’s list of the top 100 employers

STONEWALL has removed all government departments from its list of the top 100 employers after Kemi Badenoch instructed officials to cease employing the organisation.

It comes after Badenoch, the Minister for Women and Equalities, instructed government departments to stop participating in Stonewall’s controversial diversity champions programme, which has been accused with encouraging people to self-identify their gender.

The Home Office was one of three UK departments included on the yearly ranking in 2020. But there aren’t any on the charity’s most current list for 2023.

On the group’s top 100 list, the devolved administrations—which have not issued an order like Badenoch—are nonetheless represented.

The Welsh Government was in position 70, and the Scottish Government was in position 46.
The list also includes health organisations like NHS England, which is ranked 68th.

Stonewall’s diversity champions programme offers advice to companies on gender-neutral workplaces and pronoun usage.

The organisation also maintains a top 100 index that rates employers on their commitment to inclusion and diversity.

In 2020, the Government started to sever relations with Stonewall over “value for money” issues.

Later, after receiving support from Liz Truss, the former equalities minister, the Cabinet Office acknowledged that it had terminated its participation in the diversification programme.

In the last two years, more departments have also stopped participating, and groups including the BBC, Channel 4, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have done the same in response to claims that the campaign organisation lacks impartiality, notably with regard to transgender matters.

According to a statement released by Stonewall on Friday (18), Gendered Intelligence, Stonewall, and the Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research (ICDR) have jointly been granted leave to intervene in an important Scottish judicial review in which the Scottish Government challenging the UK Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack MP, on the issuance of a “section 35” order to prevent the passage of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill into law.

 

*Gendered Intelligence, established in 2008, is a registered charity to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve trans people’s quality of life.

*Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research (ICDR) is an organisation that advises citizens, legislators, and officials to engage in constitutional issues. This charity raises funds from the public.

*Under section 35 of the Scotland Act, a UK secretary of state can stop a bill getting royal assent if they have reasonable grounds to believe the law in question would have an adverse effect on legislation reserved to Westminster.