The Royal Air Force unfairly disadvantaged applicants seeking to become pilots in a bid to boost female and ethnic minority ratios in the organisation.
A Freedom of Information investigation by Sky News revealed that white men looking for a role in the RAF were described as “useless white male pilots” in leaked emails.
The RAF is now reported to be paying £5,000 each to 31 white male applicants who were forced to delay their training courses due to the policy.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, who leads the RAF, had previously insisted on a goal of 40% female recruits and 20% from ethnic minorities.
Members of the RAF’s recruitment teams aired their concern, including air vice-marshal Maria Byford, who as chief of staff for personnel claimed she had to slow the recruitment process as targets were not being reached.
Another senior recruiter, former head of recruitment Elizabeth Nicholl, resigned in protest.
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Nicholl said she had been issued an “unlawful order” to effectively pause the selection of white male recruits onto pilot training courses in favour of women and ethnic minority applicants. She said she was faced with “impossible” diversity targets.
Sky News has seen leaked emails from 2020 and 2021 that have been submitted as evidence in an internal inquiry surrounding Nicholls’ resignation.
One email included comments such as “if we don’t have enough BAME and female to board then we need to make the decision to pause boarding and seek more BAME and female from the RF [recruitment force].”
“I don’t really need to see loads of useless white male pilots”, it added.
Selection boards that only comprised white men were cancelled, according to the reports. One source alleged that efforts had been made to fast-track female and ethnic minority candidates into one RAF location without them first taking the essential fitness test.
In March 2021, the RAF announced that it had hit government targets to increase the flow of female recruits to 20% of the total, and 10% for ethnic minorities. The Force then said it would aim to lift those ratios to 40% and 20% respectively by 2030.
Asked about whether any candidates had complained about the process, the RAF told Sky News that “fewer than five individuals submitted a service complaint that was upheld”.
A spokesperson added: “The Royal Air Force has identified 31 individuals that missed out on payments due to their entry/course dates being delayed. These individuals have been contacted, and all individuals have received the payments that they were due.
“The Royal Air Force will not shy away from the challenges we face building a service that attracts and recruits talent from every part of the UK workforce.
“We will continue doing everything we can to increase our recruiting intake from under-represented groups within the provisions of the law.”
Within the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, an employer can lawfully take positive action to improve representation of under-represented groups in the organisation, but cannot actively discriminate against other groups.
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Positive action is where an employer can show they have taken “proportionate” steps to improve equality in the workplace by removing or reducing barriers faced by certain groups.
A key legal case in this area is Furlong v Chief Constable of Cheshire Police, where it was ruled the police force had discriminated against a white, heterosexual male candidate who would likely have been recruited had positive action not been applied after his interview had taken place.
