Conservative MP Nick Timothy has sounded the alarm over what he describes as an unacceptable act of discrimination against white Britons.
In a post shared on social media platform X, Timothy revealed that a young constituent was barred from applying to MI6’s prestigious Summer Intelligence Internship Programme simply because he is a white man.
“A young constituent wanted to apply for the MI6 internship programme. He discovered he was ineligible because he’s a white man. The Government says this is fine, as the intelligence agencies must become ‘more diverse’,” Timothy wrote. “The Equality Act is – yet again – the problem.”
Determined to get answers, Timothy formally posed a parliamentary question to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, asking:
“What assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Secret Intelligence Service’s diversity and inclusion policies on the recruitment of White Britons to its Summer Intelligence Internship?”
In response, Labour Minister Stephen Doughty defended the policy, citing legal provisions under the Equality Act 2010. He stated:
“The intelligence agencies, as with any arm of the Civil Service, must take any decisions seeking to improve the diversity of their workforce in line with UK law and in adherence with the relevant measures of the Equality Act 2010. These measures permit employers to take specific actions to enable or encourage those with protected characteristics to apply for particular roles. Such action is considered lawful and includes both individuals from White minority backgrounds, those from socially or economically underrepresented groups and those from an ethnic minority background.”
Critics argue that such policies, while cloaked in the language of inclusion, cross the line into overt discrimination, penalising applicants purely on the basis of their skin colour.
Sophie Corcoran, the Young People’s Director at the Great British PAC, did not hold back in her condemnation of the policy. Speaking to The Conservative Post, she said:
“We’ve reached a point where equality no longer means treating everyone the same, it means penalising young white Britons for the sin of being born without a so-called ‘protected characteristic’. This isn’t equality, it’s discrimination in plain sight. The Equality Act needs urgent reform to stop these ideological hiring practices that treat hard-working young Brits as second-class citizens.”
Timothy and Corcoran join a growing chorus of voices calling for a reassessment of the Equality Act 2010, which critics argue is now being used to justify race-based exclusion rather than prevent it.
As pressure mounts on the Government to justify why young white applicants are being barred from public internships, many are asking: if diversity means exclusion, is it really progress?
Stay with The Conservative Post as this story unfolds.
Main Image: MP Nick Timothy. Uk Parliament. Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) licence.
