Esther McVey, a Cabinet Office minister, announced a series of policy adjustments concerning the civil service at the Centre for Policy Studies on Monday. As part of what she described as a "common sense fightback," she revealed plans to significantly reduce the number of roles related to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within the civil service, limiting them to the human resources department and focusing solely on statutory requirements. McVey criticized these roles as distractions from the primary functions of the Civil Service and a source of political bias in administration.
Additionally, McVey announced changes to the civil service dress code, specifically targeting the use of certain lanyards. She proposed enforcing a standard design for lanyards to emphasize a collective identity among government workers, preventing the use of what she termed "activist lanyards."
These moves come after a review initiated by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in October, examining EDI spending throughout the public sector. McVey’s push to eliminate what she views as unnecessary EDI roles and expenses has been linked to broader cost-saving and efficiency efforts ahead of the forthcoming general election. Her actions align with a wider party strategy aimed at reducing perceived excesses in public sector spending and addressing alleged ideological bias within government institutions.