Motion #09
Conference instructs GPEX to disaffiliate from the Stonewall Diversity Champions Scheme from the next financial year for reasons of justified criticism of its equalities advice, lack of value for money, risk of Green party policy bias and overall consideration of reputational risk.
Conference recognises the extraordinary LGBTIQ+ campaigns spearheaded by Stonewall since its inception in 1989. However, public organisations and bodies, including the EHRC, BBC and UCL, have found sound reason to disaffiliate from their Diversity Champions Scheme. Justified criticism has been made of Stonewall’s interpretation of the Equality Act - in promoting the Act as how they would like it to be not how it is.
The Green Party needs to be able to ensure sound interpretation and application of the Equality Act in its internal governance and campaigning work. Conference is not satisfied that our rolling annual £2,500 subscription to the Scheme has represented value for money. Nor is our continued subscription consistent with good reputational risk management and sound interpretation of the Equality Act. As a matter of principle, these monies should be rotated around other governance or campaign priorities for the Party, including climate change campaigns, and not automatically renewed.
Stonewall has every right to undertake political campaigns as a charity, but our affiliation also jeopardises our independence as a political party, or perception thereof, to interrogate statistics and value assumptions in developing policies of our own - without bias.
Conference instructs GPEX to disaffiliate from the Diversity Champions Scheme from the next financial year.