Three octogenarian lawmakers face being banned from Parliament’s facilities after refusing to submit to re-education style ‘Valuing Everyone’ unconscious bias training.
The former Conservative Party Treasurer, Lord Kalms, alongside Lord James and Lord Willoughby de Broke are all facing a ban from the House of Lords’ “dining and banqueting facilities”, the library, research facilities, and meeting rooms.
The peers would also be prevented from meeting with their staff in person in order to limit “interactions with others in the parliamentary community until they have completed the training”, The Telegraph reported.
The Lord Conduct Committee approved the sanctions on the three men, which are expected to be put into effect after a debate within the House of Lords later this month.
While the committee admitted that “there is no suggestion” that any of the men had “behaved inappropriately”, refusing to submit to the re-education training “requires some sanction”.
The course was described as “virtue signalling” by Lord Willoughby de Broke, 82, who told the committee: “However much training I get I will never value everyone; as an example, I will never be able to value murderous terrorists, however many re-education or self-criticism camps I am required to attend.”
Lord James, 83, said that he refused the course over concerns about infringements on freedom of speech and Lord Kalms, 89, said that the committee should examine his record of fighting for female equality.
In total, around 60 peers were investigated for refusing the bias training, including the first and only female speaker of the House of Commons Baroness Boothroyd who failed to attend as a result of having open-heart surgery. The committee dropped the other investigations.
The issue of so-called unconscious bias training in Parliament has been contentious, with a group of 40 Conservative MPs announcing last September that they would refuse to take part in the ‘Value Everyone Training’.
One of the MPs leading the charge to reject the move, Ben Bradley, told Breitbart London: “I can find no evidence that it has been successful [in combatting racism]… It’s indoctrination, isn’t it?”
“We all have our own opinions based on our experiences and background and beliefs. We’re individuals and that’s the way it should be,” Bradley added.
The House of Commons Speaker has revealed that the left-wing Challenge Consultancy has been paid £885,354 to run bias training courses throughout Westminster.
According to their website, the training “helps people understand the ethos underpinning policies and procedures and enables them to integrate equality into their everyday work practice, while empowering members of traditionally disadvantaged groups”.
Femi Otitoju, who founded the group, previously admitted that she “only worked in order to be an activist”.
The group was mocked after it was revealed last year that they were paid £7,000 in British taxpayer money to provide bias training for MPs, featuring a “Cookie Monster-Esque” puppet, which told the elected officials to refrain from using supposedly offensive terms such as “pensioner” and “lady”.
Tory MP Neil O’Brien said at the time: “It strikes me as an absurd waste of taxpayers’ money. We are to be treated like children. The idea that people need to go an expensive training course to learn how to be reasonable and respectful people is ridiculous.”
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