Up to 40 Conservative MPs are expected to say no to unconscious bias training intended to tackle racism in the Commons, accusing parliamentary authorities of “pandering to the woke agenda”.
The Times revealed last month that the training, which has existed for parliamentary staff since 2016, was being piloted for MPs. It focuses on addressing prejudices people may have absorbed without knowing it.
Tories in the European Research Group and “Common Sense Group” of right-leaning MPs said most of their colleagues would not take part. “I would really rather gouge my eyes out with a blunt stick than sit through that Marxist, snake oil crap,” said one.
Tom Hunt, the MP for Ipswich, said: “Whoever is pushing this forward now is trying to pander to the woke agenda — I won’t be. I don’t think the vast majority of my constituents would want me to waste two hours on a pointless unconscious bias session that will have no effectiveness whatsoever.”
Alexander Stafford, the new Conservative MP for Rother Valley, said: “It would be far better to spend time helping constituents than be lectured by someone who’s being paid a lot of money to tell you you’re an awful human being.”
Ben Bradley, Tory MP for Mansfield, said the training would perpetuate “the kind of nonsense language that we keep hearing around things like the Black Lives Matter agenda”.
Several critics drew a distinction between unconscious bias and sexual harassment training, stressing that the latter was useful for anyone who had not run an office before, but Mr Bradley called it “a waste of time”. He told Matt Chorley’s Times Radio show that he had agreed to take part in an anti-sexual harassment course simply because it was in his diary, adding: “It was two hours of jolly conversation with some colleagues that I liked very much. But to be honest, it was a total waste of all of our time.”
Anti-bullying and anti-sexual harassment training was made mandatory last year after an independent inquiry found a “culture of deference” that allowed misconduct to thrive.
A spokeswoman for Amanda Milling, co-chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “Bullying or harassment is completely unacceptable in any walk of life. Conservative MPs have been urged to do the Valuing Everyone Training and all cabinet ministers have either completed the training or have made arrangements to do so.”
The Labour Party has introduced unconscious bias training for all its staff after Sir Keir Starmer was criticised for referring to the Black Lives Matter campaign as a “moment”.
In response to concerns about discrimination, the House of Commons has established a high-level group to help reduce inequality chaired by the clerk of House, John Benger.
A Commons spokesman said the voluntary training had been provided following requests from MPs and no decision had been taken on whether to roll it out more widely.
Unconscious bias training is fashionable and controversial (Jonathan Ames writes).
Proponents claim courses will root out unintentional but pernicious behaviour. The EW Group, a diversity consultancy in London, claims it will enable an organisation “to significantly enhance its talent pipeline” and demonstrate to managers “how to account for bias when they decide who gets promoted”.
Others are less enthusiastic. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has found mixed evidence of the training’s efficacy and said that, while it does raise awareness of potential biases, the training often does little to address explicit racism.
