Reform Wales leader branded a hypocrite as evidence emerges that he promoted the diversity policies he now opposes

Martin Shipton

Reform UK’s leader in Wales Dan Thomas has been branded a hypocrite and an opportunist after it emerged that he had backed the introduction of a Diversity, Inclusion and Equality policy when he was the Conservative leader of a London council.

In June 2021 Barnet council, led by Thomas, published a statement that said: “Barnet Council has agreed a policy setting out its clear commitment to advancing equality, tackling discrimination and ensuring diversity and inclusion is integral to everything the council does.

“The Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy was agreed by the council’s Policy and Resources Committee on Wednesday 16 June and provides an overall vision and action plan for the next four years which aims to ensure the borough is a place which is fair, inclusive and safe for all its communities.

“The action plan sets out how the council will shape services for residents which actively address inequality and exclusion, as well as the high standards the council will continue to expect of itself.

“The policy highlights how diverse the borough is and the importance of the local authority reflecting this diversity.

“It also outlines the council’s commitment to go above and beyond the legal duties which local authorities must fulfil.

“The policy was developed in collaboration with a range of external stakeholders and included a consultation held between October and December of last year which offered an opportunity for people to express their views.

“Council Leader, Councillor Dan Thomas, said: ‘The diversity of our borough is something we are immensely proud of and is without question one of our greatest strengths. We want to make sure that our residents find the borough to be a fair, inclusive and safe place to live, work and worship.

“This policy will play a central role in helping to guide us over the coming years. We expect the highest standards of ourselves and it will help us shape the services we provide, ensuring that diversity and inclusion is integral to everything that we do. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to its development.’”

However, Reform UK Wales has followed Nigel Farage’s line of opposing everything to do with what is more commonly referred to as DEI.

The Welsh party’s manifesto for the Senedd election included the statement: End DEI non-jobs and limit working from home in the public sector: The Welsh public sector is stuffed with Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) officers who promote divisive identity politics that ultimately drives us all apart. These positions are almost always grossly overpaid, with salaries that bear no relation to any measurable output. Reform will end this waste of taxpayer’s money. The Equality Act is a reserved matter and Wales must comply with it, but there is no requirement to gold-plate it. Civil servants will be expected to work from their offices, with only limited exceptions.”

Farage has made it clear that a Reform UK Westminster government would repeal the Equality Act 2010.

In June 2026 he claimed that DEI policies were dividing children in British schools and undermining meritocracy.

Speaking in a video posted to social media, Farage said that “something quite extraordinary and wrong” was happening in the British education system.

“White kids are being lectured”, Farage said. “They’re being told in schools like Langley School in Solihull that they enjoy ‘white privilege’. People look out for microaggressions. They’re taught about history that in some way we’re the worst country that ever existed on the face of the Earth.”

‘Lesser beings’

Farage claimed this approach was leaving white pupils feeling “like lesser beings”, even in schools where they make up a large proportion of the student body.

“It’s called DEI – diversity, equality and inclusion – and it’s writ large into the rules that teachers have to follow”, he said. “And it’s wrong. It is literally dividing kids.

“We are treating different groups of 18-year-olds in entirely different ways according to their ethnic origin”, Farage said. “Our argument is that the Equality Act 2010 put in place something called ‘positive action’ that, in fact, just discriminates against white kids and is likely to lead to big division in British society.

“That is why Reform UK has pledged to scrap the Equality Act and return Britain to a meritocracy.”

Axe

After making big gains in England’s local elections in May 2025, Reform UK made it clear that it was out to dismantle Diversity, Equality and Inclusion programmes in the councils where they had taken charge.

Like Elon Musk’s DOGE in the United States, they pledged to axe council staff. In the immediate aftermath of the election results in England, Farage said: “I would advise anyone who’s working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – you’d all better be seeking alternative careers very very soon.”

A Labour source said “This just about sums up Dan and much of Reform. They don’t actually believe any of it; they simply spout whatever advances their personal ambitions. When in Barnet, he felt the need to be pro-DEI. Now, in Wales, he puts on a pantomime-style performance of hating anything that could be seen as inclusive.

“It shows real contempt for the electorate, whom he clearly thinks are complete fools.

“Dan Thomas is a hypocrite and an opportunist. How can anyone believe a word he says?”

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