EDI Must DIE - HMRC's Diversity Delusions: Prioritising Pronouns Over Phone Lines

In a move that perfectly encapsulates the bloated, out-of-touch bureaucracy plaguing Britain's public sector, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has quietly ballooned its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) team to 30 staff members. This expansion, revealed through successive Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, shows a steady climb from 21 employees on January 1, 2024, to 25 by June 1, 2024, and now 30 as of July 11, 2025. Meanwhile, taxpayers desperate for basic assistance are left rotting on hold, with average wait times exceeding 23 minutes and only two-thirds of calls even being answered. If this isn't a glaring case of misplaced priorities, what is?

HMRC's official line on this EDI empire-building is as predictably vague as it is unconvincing: “HMRC is committed to reflecting diverse communities and being an inclusive and respectful place to work, in line with Civil Service values. This supports our delivery of strategic objectives and helps us to provide the best service for customers.” One can't help but wonder: how exactly does a larger EDI team translate to better tax collection or customer support? Perhaps they're devising diverse ways to ignore phone calls, or inclusive strategies for hanging up on frustrated callers. The query cheekily leaves it "up to co-conspirators to guess how," but let's speculate: maybe EDI workshops teach staff to apologise in multiple languages before disconnecting, or ensure that hold music represents a rainbow of cultural tunes. Whatever the rationale, it's clear that HMRC's commitment to "diversity" doesn't extend to diverse taxpayer needs—like, say, actually getting through on the phone.

This EDI obsession comes at a time when HMRC's customer service has plummeted to depths that would embarrass a third-world call centre. In the first 11 months of 2023-24, the average wait time to speak to an advisor was nearly 23 minutes, up from just five minutes in 2018-19. Only 66.4% of call attempts were answered, falling woefully short of the 85% target. Taxpayers collectively wasted 798 years on hold in 2022-23—more than double the time from 2019-20. And in a particularly cruel twist, over 44,000 callers were abruptly cut off after waiting 70 minutes in 2023-24, a 535% spike from the previous year. As one exasperated X user put it, "HMRC must burn," recounting how agents simply hang up when queries get too complex. Another highlighted language barriers, with staff unable to communicate clearly in English—ironic for an agency serving a predominantly English-speaking nation.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) didn't mince words in its damning report, accusing HMRC of deliberately degrading phone services to force people online. PAC Chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown blasted the agency for eroding public trust, noting that digital alternatives aren't ready or suitable for everyone—seven million people can't even use them. HMRC's push to "digital-first" might sound modern, but it's a smokescreen for chronic underfunding and inefficiency. Years of Tory cuts left HMRC understaffed and demoralised, with inexperienced agents and outdated IT systems. Now, under Labour, the bloat continues: EDI teams grow while core functions atrophy. As Reform UK supporter Rupert Lowe demanded, the leadership should be sacked for showing "ZERO respect for the people paying their wages."

Let's not forget the bigger picture: HMRC's failures aren't just annoying—they're costly. Uncollected debts hit £46.8 billion in the 2023-24 tax gap, with £5 billion written off as unrecoverable. Fraud in schemes like R&D tax reliefs persists due to insufficient checks. Yet, resources are diverted to EDI navel-gazing, including seminars on the "guilt of being British"—held during office hours, no less. This isn't inclusion; it's indoctrination on the taxpayer's dime. As one X post fumed, "Bureaucrats taking our money & attacking our core values & nation."

HMRC claims recent improvements, like reducing wait times to 11 minutes and meeting some targets in late 2024. But scepticism abounds—complaints surged 65% last year, with £718,000 paid in compensation for delays. And with plans for a new contact platform in 2026-27 promising callbacks and wait estimates, why the foot-dragging? The National Audit Office (NAO) nailed it: HMRC's digital dreams haven't eased pressures, and service levels have been "far below" expectations for years.

It's time to eviscerate this nonsense. Slash the EDI bloat, hire competent staff who can answer phones in under an hour, and focus on collecting taxes rather than virtue-signalling. Taxpayers aren't "co-conspirators" in some woke agenda—they're the ones footing the bill for this farce. If HMRC can't pick up the phone, perhaps we should stop picking up the tab.

Tax does have to be taxing.



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