Diversity roles in the civil service are a “job creation scheme created by the awake for the awake”, Jacob Rees-Mogg has said, backing Liz Truss’ plan to shake up Whitehall.
Mrs Truss has vowed to wage a “war” on civil servant waste if she wins the Tory leadership contest and becomes prime minister, and one of her pledges is to cut the number of diversity officer posts.
Mr Rees-Mogg, the government efficiency minister who is a leading supporter of Ms Truss, said he supported the move as he argued diversity officers were doing “nothing useful”.
He argued that the onus to improve diversity in Whitehall should lie with the people who actually make employment decisions.
Mr Rees-Mogg told Sky News: “I think ensuring diversity at work is the job of the people who make the hiring decisions, not someone who is hired as a diversity officer.”
He added: “I think you need to drive that into the people who make the hiring decisions and the civil service commission to make sure you’re hiring the best people from different backgrounds.”
Rees-Mogg accuses the civil service of running “pointless” training programmes
The minister said the civil service was guilty of running “pointless” training programs for its staff, citing an initiative called “Check Yo Privilege”.
He asked: “Why is the civil service wasting people’s time with a course that doesn’t help people do their jobs better?”
Mr Rees-Mogg has been told the Government may not go very far in improving diversity in Whitehall by cutting roles, but he disagreed.
He said, “Yes, because I don’t believe they are doing anything useful. I do not believe they contribute to the diversity of the civil service. This is a job creation scheme created by the awake for the awake.”
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