A Reform UK government would ban schools and colleges from engaging in diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives and appoint Whitehall enforcers to ensure compliance, the party has said. Following the riots that took place in Belfast and Southampton amid growing racial tensions, Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage published an essay titled Britain is a two tier state – against white people. In the essay, he took aim at what he called the “toxic ideology of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)” and claimed “every section of the state” has been “ideologically compromised”. Farage claimed that in the education sector, “bureaucrats are more interested in diversity than the educational success of the largest group of pupils”. Political appointees to enforce bans Under a Reform UK government, Farage said national and local government bodies would be prohibited from engaging in or promoting DEI. “To ensure democratic accountability, political appointments will be appointed from Westminster into public bodies with a mandate to enforce bans on DEI at a ground level,” he said. When asked whether by “public bodies”, Reform UK includes state-funded education bodies such as schools and colleges, a spokesperson for the party responded: “Yes. Under a Reform government, the progressive indoctrination of our children will end. “Schools will only commemorate accepted civic events, such as St George’s day/other national days or D-Day.” Farage also spoke of the curriculum changes he wants to usher in. He said that his government would “end the ideological capture of our classrooms and ensure that every pupil in England receives a balanced and patriotic education”. Fly the union flag Every school would be required to fly the union flag, honour St George’s Day in England and mount an official portrait of the King in a visible communal space. A new history curriculum would be launched, which Farage said would be “rooted in honouring our island story with pride”. There would also be no public funding for research or courses attempting to “decolonise” the curriculum. Farage also said pupils should not be “forced” to celebrate Black history month, pride month and refugee week. ‘Chilling’ Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest, as Farage had, that schools and college classrooms had been ideologically captured. “We completely refute Nigel Farage’s characterisation. Schools and colleges do endeavour to make pupils of all backgrounds feel welcome and supported, and they promote respect and tolerance. These are values which we believe are integral to a peaceful and harmonious society. “Mr Farage’s plan to appoint political commissars to enforce bans on certain events and celebrations in schools and colleges sounds a little like something that could have come out of the Soviet Union. It is chilling.” The Reform leader also claimed that in education, white children are being “left behind”, and “the teachers who should be looking out for them are lecturing them about ‘white privilege’, telling them about their ‘responsibility’ to reduce racism, telling them it is impossible for black people to be racist towards those with white skin”. Farage singles out school He pointed to the equality policy of Langley School, a secondary run by the Collaborative Education Trust in Solihull, which he said contained a “fascinating glimpse into how our institutions think” Stating that 23 per cent of its pupils are eligible for free school meals and almost half are white British, he said that the school promised “embedding EDI within teaching and resources”, “promoting community cohesion” and “instilling in pupils an awareness of prejudice”. Schools Week has approached the school for comment. Reform UK also intends to repeal the Equality Act and ban any recruitment, training or promotion policies that favour one group over another. Farage claimed that in the NHS, a “flood of incoming international graduates” have left doctors coming through Britain’s medical schools with “consistently better performance than their international peers”, unable to find speciality training places and in some cases unemployed.