MI5, MI6, and GCHQ ban white people from internships

Several of the British government's intelligence organizations – MI5, MI6, and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) – have banned white people from applying to prized internships, preferring to receive applications from ethnic minorities who grew up poor instead12. The MI5 website states that to be eligible for either a 10- or 11-week scholarship at one of the organizations, “you’ll need to be in your penultimate or final year of university, from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background, and from a socially or economically disadvantaged background”1. The organizations also claim that without diversity and inclusion they cannot undertake their main function which is to maintain the safety of those living in the country, explaining: “To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve”1. Vacancies in the UK can lawfully exclude white people by claiming to promote “positive action”1.

Key facts:

• MI5, MI6, and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) have banned white people from applying to prized internships12.
• The organizations prefer to receive applications from ethnic minorities who grew up poor instead12.
• To be eligible for either a 10- or 11-week scholarship at one of the organizations, applicants need to be in their penultimate or final year of university, from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background, and from a socially or economically disadvantaged background1.
• The organizations claim that without diversity and inclusion they cannot undertake their main function which is to maintain the safety of those living in the country1.
• Vacancies in the UK can lawfully exclude white people by claiming to promote “positive action”1.