Female Labour MPs "Dismayed" By Blue Labour's Anti-DEI Stance

Pro-DEI sign at a May Day event in Lower Manhattan, 2025 (Christopher Penler / Alamy Stock Photo)

Blue Labour, a tradition within the party that describes itself as socially conservative and economically left-wing, recently saw a group of Labour MPs form in support. It is chaired by Dan Carden, a Labour MP formerly of the Socialist Campaign Group.

The Blue Labour X account released a manifesto for the group in April that the Guardian only reported on this week, prompting discussion in Labour circles.

One of the policies stated that Blue Labour was "proud of our multiracial democracy" but rejected "divisive identity politics", concluding: "We should legislate to root out DEI in hiring practices, sentencing decisions, and wherever else we find it in our public bodies."

Reacting to the statement, Labour MPs, including Polly Billington and Samantha Niblett, were said to have spoken out against it on the Women's WhatsApp group.

One Labour MP told PoliticsHome "the idea of four men saying 1956 was a better place to be" is "regressive and irritating for female MPs".

"They think they are the voice of the working class. They don’t have an analysis of modern Britain," they added.

The MP complained that women are being "frequently briefed against by a small number of men" who, in turn, are "getting attention for things that aren’t Labour".

They also noted that Blue Labour members were using the term "woke", and argued: "We don’t use that word and no one progressive does."

Another source, a senior Labour MP, similarly told PoliticsHome there was "dismay" that "just four men are seemingly having such sway/media attention".

One member of the WhatsApp group commented that if Blue Labour were truly "patriotic", they would use the British term 'EDI' (equality, diversity, and inclusion) rather than 'DEI, ' which is the American preference.

Having at first consisted of a core group of four male Labour MPs – Dan Carden, Jonathan Hinder, Jonathan Brash and David Smith – PoliticsHome understands that the parliamentary group has grown and now counts women among its members.

In an interview with The House magazine earlier this year, Jonathan Rutherford – a co-founder of the original Blue Labour movement, alongside Lord Glasman – said of the Labour Party: “It doesn’t know how to deal with Islam. It doesn’t know how to separate Islamism from the great majority of moderate Muslims. It doesn’t know how to deal with race, except to be anti-racist or to go along with DEI.”

He also noted that this subject is “where Blue Labour has taken the most abuse”.

Progressives see Blue Labour as “reactionary” and believe “we want to go back to the 50s – absurdities like that”, Rutherford said, but he argued the group is more interested in “recognising that change brings loss”: “We’ve always been accused of being nostalgic, but actually the past and people’s inheritance – it matters to them.”

Rutherford has advised many Labour MPs – including Rachel Reeves, Lisa Nandy and others in the present Cabinet – over the past 15 years. He now runs a project out of right-wing think tank Policy Exchange called ‘Future of the Left’, which feeds ideas into No 10 via regular meetings and papers.

Blue Labour MPs were approached for comment but declined to do so or did not respond in time for publication.

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