Reform UK’s Diversity & Inclusion Rollback: A Moment to Reflect, Rethink, and Reconnect

By Samantha Stimpson (Founder & CEO: SLS 360)

Image credit: Blick Rothenberg

Reform UK, following their performance in recent local elections, have issued a blunt directive telling EDI professionals in their controlled councils to “find another job”. Echoing the US, not surprisingly many of us in this sector are rightfully outraged. The decision is sweeping, dismissive, and disregards years of hard-won progress. Yet, beyond the headlines and the understandable anger, we must sit with a more complex, introspective question: How did we get here?

At SLS 360, our mission has always been rooted in the belief that inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility (IDEA) is for everyone. The recent backlash has shown that it is not just about politics. It's also a reaction to a broader perception that inclusion is only for the marginalised, rather than a collective responsibility and shared benefit. And that perception, however misguided, didn’t appear out of nowhere.

Many EDI initiatives have (understandably) focused on correcting historic and systemic exclusions. But somewhere along the way, the messaging has narrowed. Inclusion became synonymous with “fixing problems” for marginalised groups, and less about creating environments where everyone, regardless of identity, power, or privilege, can feel seen, safe, and valued. This isn’t about blaming those who do the work. Quite the opposite. It’s about acknowledging that our approach sometimes speaks in a language not everyone hears. If the dominant narrative leaves some people, particularly those from majority or privileged groups, feeling accused, ignored, or excluded, the result isn’t inclusion, it’s alienation. And alienation fuels resistance.

While we must rally against harmful right wing views and rhetoric we must also take responsibility, as a community, for expanding the narrative. EDI is not a zero-sum game. It’s not about one group “losing” so another can “win.” It’s about redefining what fairness looks like for everyone, including those who have never before questioned their place in a room. And it’s about moving beyond transactional interventions, checklists and training sessions and into relational work that engages people with empathy, curiosity, and shared purpose.

We must ask ourselves:

• Are we helping everyone understand why this work matters?

• Are we inviting people into the conversation, or closing the door before they arrive?

• Are we rooted in values of compassion and justice or driven by compliance?

  
  

At SLS 360, we choose the former. We remain committed to an inclusive practice that doesn’t shy away from injustice but refuses to become oppositional. Inclusion is not for them or for us it’s for everyone. And when we remember that, we can rebuild trust, invite dialogue, and resist these rollbacks with greater moral clarity and collective strength.

Now is the time not just to defend the work, but to rethink how we talk about it and reconnect with the hearts and minds of the people we hope to reach.