Helen Edward recently stood as Parliamentary Candidate for Kingston and Surbiton. She is also Deputy Chair for CWO London and CPF London Ambassador.

Is there a direct link or backlash between Diversity and Reform? Pose the question, and watch the brows furrow—then the penny drops. The Reform-leaning half of the audience nods.

A group alienated by the liberal elite agenda—sometimes rudely dismissed as “male, pale, and stale,” stereotyped as Daily Mail readers, or simply seen as hardworking individuals nearing retirement—feels increasingly sidelined. Jeremy Hunt’s call for them to come back from the golf course went unheeded. After Dominic Raab was driven out over questionable decade-old complaints, who could blame them for staying put? If it isn’t bullying, it’s sexual harassment or “non-parties” with cake—each triggering a swift moral outcry.

Those of us who started work in the 1980s, in the era of Maggie Thatcher and shelf-like shoulder pads, remember when office banter was the norm and women were the butt of many jokes. Yet, we took pride in being part of the new “Working Girl” movement, wearing pencil skirts, strutting the trading floor, and pursuing our careers. For men of that generation, the cultural shift toward Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) has been a long, tedious journey. Not all older workers made the trip; for many, the workplace has become unrecognizable. It’s safer—and, frankly, more appealing—to stay on the golf course.

Meanwhile, HR departments have taken active steps to pave the way for diversity hires. While this has brought undeniable gains in representation, social mobility, and culture, it has also sidelined experienced, older professionals who feel unthanked and politically ignored. This group holds extensive experience, expertise, influence, and capital, yet finds itself without representation.

These individuals, once reliable Conservative voters, feel betrayed. Brexit turmoil, lockdowns, and inflation have left them disillusioned. Many turned to Reform, a party led by someone who shares their age, education, and concerns. In July 2024, 4 million former Conservative voters chose Reform—a blow to the party’s 2019 14-million-vote triumph and 80-seat majority. One major issue? Immigration. Record numbers have changed communities and strained public services and housing.

In the workplace, DEI policies have also encouraged immigration. International students—whose fees often subsidize domestic ones—surpass their peers in admissions and later in job placements. They not only work harder and achieve more but also fulfil corporate diversity quotas. Consequently, retiring professionals are replaced by hires who boost a company’s CSR image, catering to a socially conscious customer base. Businesses have become adept at signalling their liberal values, but at what cost?

Has the Diversity movement gone too far?

Cancel Culture is real and threatens free speech from university campuses to the banking sector. Even a revered Telegraph journalist like Allison Pearson received a “non-crime” hate incident notice on her doorstep. Meanwhile, Guardian journalists are offered counselling. The Liberal Elite, represented by figures in the Labour Party and Lib Dems, maintain a sense of moral superiority but have lost touch with working-class roots. They push equality for race and gender but stifle conservative viewpoints and, ironically, age—despite it being a protected characteristic.

Cancel Culture met its own Cancellation match last week when Trump secured a sweeping victory. The Liberal Left was thrown into disarray, unable to process a rejection of woke, identity-driven politics. Labour scrambled to soften their previous criticism of Trump, now President-Elect of the USA. Just days earlier, their budget declarations had sparked class warfare, targeting private schools, pensioners, businesses, and farmers. This sudden reversal exposed the ideological motives behind their measures, designed more as partisan strikes than true public service.

Kemi Badenoch has suggested that equality and diversity battles are thinly veiled class struggles. Taxing “broad shoulders” while claiming to spare “working people” amounts to disingenuous double-speak. It’s hypocrisy wrapped in moral platitudes. What resonates with people is simple: WIIFM—”What’s in it for me?” Americans recently voted against identity politics and for reform in immigration and capitalism.

The lesson for Britain and Conservatives

The U.S. election outcome proves a point: push too hard on diversity, and you ignite an equal and opposite call for Reform. This message has profound implications for the UK and Conservatives. Badenoch’s Renewal2030 is a blueprint for modernising governance, detailed in her Conservatism in Crisis pamphlet. She identifies unchecked identity politics as a driver of ballooning regulation and spending and blames the liberal reluctance to curb immigration. She writes:

“The malaise is the result of a new bureaucratic class and its progressive ideology gnawing at the foundations of our society… To confront this, politics must shift—dismissing radical environmentalism, unpicking identity politics, limiting migration, and reducing HR, compliance, and sustainability red tape.”

Renewal means returning to Conservative principles: equality under the law, streamlined regulation, competitive energy prices, and creating an environment where businesses can thrive and invest. Tackling unchecked immigration and an overburdened welfare system is essential. Part of revitalizing business involves easing HR and DEI compliance that stifles growth.

A significant hurdle is age discrimination; few companies hire workers over 55. I recently put forward a proposal to Number Ten and DWP for ‘Returnerships’—internships designed for older workers. The benefits of work span all ages, enriching both individuals and the economy. A cultural shift is essential to promote age inclusivity in recruitment.

Some strategists emphasise appealing to younger professionals and female voters. Yet, our strategy must also reclaim Reform’s voters. The breadth of a well-rounded Conservative vision, like the one embraced in the U.S., is the key. Trump’s “Nation First” model, centred on business support, offers a compelling path. Before this, Labour’s restrictive budget and union giveaways must be repealed— policies that dragged growth down from July’s 0.6 per cent under Conservatives to 0.1 per cent.

With Kemi’s leadership, I am confident we will regain our Conservative conviction, present a better offer, and seize the next election. The Renewal2030 journey is promising, and victory is within reach.

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