HMRC Faces Outrage Over Staff ‘Guilt of Being British’ Seminar During Work Hours

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) faced significant backlash after hosting a taxpayer-funded seminar titled “The Guilt of Being British” during working hours, while many taxpayers struggled to reach the agency’s helplines. The hour-long session, organized by HMRC’s internal Race Network, focused on themes including the emotional complexity of being South Asian and British, colonial history, and identity challenges faced by South Asian women. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch strongly condemned the event as "nonsense," criticizing it for promoting guilt about being British and undermining public trust in government services. She pledged to remove such initiatives from the Civil Service and emphasized that a Conservative government under her leadership would ensure public bodies take pride in Britain rather than apologize for its history. HMRC stated that fewer than 0.1% of its staff participated and claimed the event had no impact on call center performance, despite ongoing criticism of HMRC’s customer service, including long wait times and high call abandonment rates. The controversy reflects broader tensions around diversity and inclusion efforts within public institutions amid concerns over service efficiency.