The UK’s Christian Institute has formally commenced legal action against Prime Minister Sir Kerr Starmer and the British Civil Service over official taxpayer-funded participation in Pride marches.
Legal action was threatened in August, with the Institute sending Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald a pre-action letter, but papers have now been officially lodged with the High Court, seeking a judicial review of the practice.
The Prime Minister is named in his capacity as Minister of The Civil Service.
The Institute believes the current practice of officially endorsing and funding participation during work time, whilst sporting “Civil Service Pride” t-shirts and banners, breaches the law on Civil Service impartiality.
It called for an end to the use of ‘rainbow’ lanyards and ‘preferred pronouns’ in public-facing email signatures.
FOLLOWS SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE AGAINST POLICE PARTICIPATION IN ‘POLITICAL’ PRIDE EVENTS
The legal action could impact civil servants in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The challenge is being brought because the Institute believes official participation in Pride events gives the public the impression that civil servants have taken sides on controversial issues on which they ought, by law, to be impartial.
It follows a win for gender-critical activist Linzi Smith, who successfully challenged Northumbria Police’s participation in Pride events.
The court in that case found Pride to be “political” and a breach of laws on police impartiality.
POLICE HALT OFFICIAL PARTICIPATION IN PRIDE EVENTS
As a result, forces across the UK have stopped officers from officially participating in Pride marches.
Northumbria has also withdrawn police cars branded with rainbow and ‘progress’ flags.
The Institute is using the same legal team that won that case.
“CIVIL SERVANTS MUST MAINTAIN IMPARTIALITY ON CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES”
Its Deputy Director Simon Calvert said: “The law is clear that civil servants must maintain impartiality on controversial political issues.”
“Whether one agrees with it or not, no-one can deny that the LGBTQ+ Pride movement and its hard-line gender ideology are profoundly political.”
“Pride London, the one attended by Whitehall-based civil servants, even banned political parties because they don’t support their political demands, which include puberty blockers and gender self-ID.”
“These are positions which the taxpayers who fund the Civil Service increasingly reject.”
“INAPPROPRIATE FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS TO BE OFFICIALLY ENDORSING PRIDE”
The association between Pride’s rainbow flag and controversial positions like these is so strong that many gay and lesbian people have rejected it.”
“Similarly, declaring preferred pronouns to members of the public in official email signatures is a pointed display of allegiance to an ideology – one which the public increasingly rejects.”
“Despite Pride being so politicised, the social media feeds of Government departments still feature images celebrating their participation in the movement.”
“As Linzi Smith’s successful judicial review of Northumbria Police determined, involvement in Pride events signals support for a highly contentious set of political demands.”
“It is inappropriate for civil servants to be officially endorsing Pride.”
INSTITUTE EXECUTIVE SHOCKED BY PUBLIC SERVANTS’ ATTITUDE
Mr. Calvert continued: “I have been working in public policy for decades.”
“I’ve been shocked by how many civil servants wear Pride lanyards in our meetings with them, even when those meetings are specifically about conflicts with that ideology.”
“Sitting in front of a phalanx of civil servants in rainbow lanyards gives the impression that their minds are closed on the issues we are discussing.”
“It certainly does not communicate the kind of neutrality that taxpayers expect of civil servants.”
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