The National Audit Office accepts applications to its six-week paid programme only from candidates who are women, of African background, or from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Middle-class white men are, in other words, excluded from the British National Audit Office (NAO), writes The Telegraph.
The job advertisement states that the scheme is designed to support “diversity talent” within accountancy. The NAO is funded by taxpayers and requested a budget of £111 million for 2025–2026.
“An ideology against white people and against meritocracy”
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s Shadow Home Secretary, says that this constitutes “blatant discrimination”.
“For a government department to ban white men from applying for an internship is blatant discrimination.”
He believes that jobs and opportunities should be awarded on the basis of qualifications, not on the basis of race or sex.
“This is an ideology directed against white people and against meritocracy, disguising itself as diversity and inclusion, and Reform UK will put a stop to these discriminatory schemes and ensure equal treatment for all.”
Claire Coutinho, the Conservative Party’s Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, also reacted:
“No one should be denied opportunities because of the colour of their skin or their parents’ occupation. We should all be judged by our character and not by protected characteristics. Identity politics will only lead to greater division, as Kemi Badenoch has argued for years.”
Taxpayer-funded discrimination
The NAO is not alone in engaging in this form of state-supported discrimination. Several other public bodies also exclude white men.
Last year, the British intelligence services reintroduced their paid summer internship programme, from which white participants are excluded.
The summer internships at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, which begin this month, are open only to young people from Black, Asian, mixed heritage or ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds and from socially or economically disadvantaged environments.
Hvite briter får ikke søke praksisplass i sikkerhetstjenesten
Transport for London also offers an 11-month paid internship called the “Stuart Ross Placement”, for which applicants must belong to the BAME group, have a disability, or come from a disadvantaged background.
Last year, the Bank of England was criticised by, among others, Elon Musk for a £5,000 internship programme that excluded white candidates.
Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, wrote at the time to Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey:
“What message does this send to a talented, hard-working student who happens to be white?”
In other words: if you are a young white man with a normally functioning body, and parents who work and are able to support their family, then the British state has no use for you, regardless of your abilities. Political institutions actively participate in this practice.
The House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Senedd Commission have entered into a partnership with the Windsor Fellowship to organise an annual internship for people from minority backgrounds.
In Norway’s public sector, too, there is a statutory requirement to work actively towards equality of outcomes and diversity. This means that public bodies make use of positive discrimination (preferential treatment) to ensure better representation of, among others, women and minorities.
An NAO spokesperson stated:
“Our established diversity internship schemes provide valuable work experience within the auditing profession.
The internship opens doors for people who are underrepresented in the profession, including those from less affluent backgrounds.”
One may reasonably assume that most Britons who require such services are primarily interested in an auditor who can do the job, rather than a person selected on the basis of sex, skin colour, parental wealth or disability.
The bill is sent to the taxpayers, among whom the white middle class are among those who pay the most.