Report

Equal footing

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society sets out why we cannot afford to ignore inequality.

For a long time, the UK was viewed as a leader in promoting equality. Yet as this pamphlet explains, over recent years that reputation has been substantially diminished.

On a rhetorical level, the Conservative government has never been more focused on equalities issues – but this focus exists only in order to pit different groups against each other. Increasingly, argues Anneliese Dodds MP, right-wingers have adopted a ‘zero sum’ approach to equality – arguing that if barriers are pulled down for one group of people, this can only come about by making everyone else’s lives harder; and suggesting that politics should focus on stoking division, rather than on opening up opportunity.

Dodds, who will become the UK’s first Secretary of State for Women and Equalities if Labour takes power, sets out why they are wrong. In particular, she explains how delivering on equality is increasingly fundamental for achieving sustainable growth: removing barriers to opportunity adds to our economy, rather than taking away.