BADENOCH PLEDGES TO REFORM EQUALITY ACT AND SCRAP PUBLIC SECTOR DUTY

Kemi Badenoch has vowed to reform the Equality Act as part of an effort to win back support from Reform UK voters. The Conservative leader has specifically pledged to scrap the public sector equality duty, a legal requirement that obliges public institutions to actively consider how their decisions affect equality. Badenoch previously served as equalities minister between 2020 and 2022. The announcement marks a clear policy commitment from the Conservative Party on equalities legislation.

The public sector equality duty currently applies across government departments, local councils, NHS trusts, schools, and other public bodies in Britain. Removing it would represent a significant change to the legal framework that has governed public sector decision-making on equalities matters since the Equality Act came into force in 2010. The pledge is directed at voters who have moved towards Reform UK, the party that has gained support at the Conservatives' expense. Badenoch's position combines her role as party leader with her prior ministerial experience in the equalities brief.

The proposal places equalities law at the centre of the Conservative Party's political positioning. Reform UK has built support partly by opposing what it characterises as diversity and equality initiatives in public institutions. Any legislative change to the Equality Act would require a parliamentary majority and full passage through both the Commons and the Lords. The Conservatives currently sit in opposition following their defeat at the 2024 general election.