Jacob Rees-Mogg has hit out at Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc as criticism intensifies over her company’s diversity policy.
She revealed that senior white male recruits must be signed off by the chief executive as she made her stance clear on ‘non-diverse’ hires.
The Tory MP told GB News that the case vindicates his call for the Equality Act to be scrapped.
Speaking to Martin Daubney, he branded Blanc’s policy “disgraceful”, arguing the legislation, which was introduced in 2010, has given rise to extreme cases of pushes for diversity in the workplace.
“I saw a terrible story last week about Aviva”, he said.
“The chief executive said if a non-diverse appointment was made, it will have to come to her and another person.
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Diversity madness: Aviva insurance says all new white male recruits must be personally signed off by CEO“So if you are a white man, Aviva doesn’t want to employ you. That’s such a disgraceful thing to say.
“It’s discriminatory. It is almost actually encouraged by the Equalities Act, which is bizarre.”
Blanc, 56, told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee last week: "There is no non-diverse hire at Aviva without it being signed off by me and the chief people officer."
The GB News presenter and Tory MP spoke about the Equalities Act and his desire for it to be abolished as he opened Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation yesterday.
He said taxpayer money is being wasted on “vacuous roles” such as diversity officers.
“We need something to be done to stop this happening”, he said.
“Interestingly, according to a Freedom of Information request from the Taxpayers Alliance last year the NHS, the National Health Service in England turned out to employ 800 diversity and inclusion officers, costing a total of £40 million per annum.
“Many of these people are paid more than nurses, who I think most of you would think a bit more useful.”
Asked what he would replace the Equalities Act with, Rees-Mogg told Daubney it is important that the aim of eradicating discrimination is not forgotten in the workplace.
“There is the fundamental principle of equality before the law, but you don’t want to go back to a time where discrimination was lawful”, he