Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

RAF recruitment head quit after refusing to follow ‘unlawful’ order to meet diversity targets: Report

The Group Captain for Recruitment & Selection headed a team of 450 recruitment officials.

RAF recruitment head quit after refusing to follow ‘unlawful’ order to meet diversity targets: Report

The group captain of the Royal Air Force (RAF), who stepped down as the head of its recruitment team, is believed to have opposed an order to 'prioritise women and ethnic minorities over white men' to meet diversity targets.

In an email seen by Sky News, she told her boss that she was not willing to allocate slots on RAF training courses based purely on a specific gender or ethnicity as it would be “unlawful” to do so.

"I am not prepared to delegate or abdicate the responsibility of actioning that order to my staff," she said in the email dated August 4, the day she resigned from her role.

The Group Captain for Recruitment & Selection, who headed a team of 450 recruitment officials, was not prepared to implement the "course loading" order, the newspaper reported citing defence sources.

Prioritisation of women and ethnic minorities over white men would have raised the concerns of positive discrimination, which is illegal.

Promotion of someone solely because of a specific, protected characteristic, amounts to positive discrimination which is different from positive action aimed at improving diversity in the workforce.

The RAF, however, said the concerns raised by the group captain were addressed by the service.

The organisation said it recruited people from the “widest possible pool of talent” but its “high standards, operational effectiveness, or adherence to legal obligations," were not compromised.

"We frequently review our recruitment processes, seeking legal advice to ensure that we are mindful of our legal obligations”, an RAF spokesperson told Sky News.

"Any allegations that we have failed to do so are investigated without delay. The concern raised in this instance was addressed by the chain of command at the time and we continue our work to ensure recruitment processes remain compliant with all policy and legal requirements."

A minister had said last week that any evidence of positive discrimination would be probed.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less