Tory leadership candidate and UK prime ministerial hopeful Rishi Sunak said on Friday that in order to put an end to the "woke nonsense" which is "permeating public life," he has committed to revising the nation's Equalities Act.
According to a Sky News report, the Tory leadership contender promised to "stand up to left-wing agitators" and "defend British freedoms" if he becomes prime minister, despite saying he had "zero interest in fighting a so-called culture war."
Lagging behind Liz Truss, his main rival in the polls, Sunak is trying to win over his fellow party members before the final vote in a few weeks for the right to move into the famous House No. 10 Downing Street.
Sunak stated that by ensuring that sex is defined in the 2010 Equality Act as biological sex, he hopes to maintain gendered terms like "woman" and "mother."
"It has been a Trojan horse that has allowed every kind of woke nonsense to permeate public life. My government would review the Act to ensure we keep legitimate protections while stopping mission creep," he said, per the report.
Additionally, the former chancellor stated he wanted to make it clear that gender self-identification is not binding on the law. More to that, previously, he reportedly stated that he would oppose allowing biological males to compete against women in sports and would defend single-sex services in his first public policy commitment during his leadership campaign.
In order to "shield" students from "inappropriate material," his plan to "protect British freedoms" also calls for improving the legislative advice for schools on how to educate about sex and relationships.
Moreover, Sunak is reportedly expected to tell his supporters on Saturday that his government will "safeguard our shared cultural, historical, and philosophical heritage."
"What's the point in stopping the bulldozers in the green belt if we allow left-wing agitators to take a bulldozer to our history, our traditions and our fundamental values? Whether it's pulling down statues of historic figures, replacing the school curriculum with anti-British propaganda, or rewriting the English language so we can't even use words like 'man' 'woman' or 'mother' without being told we're offending someone?" he is expected to say in the speech. "It's not us who are the aggressors; we have zero interest in fighting a so-called culture war. But we are determined to end the brainwashing, the vandalism and the finger pointing."
However, a recent YouGov poll showed that only 8% of Conservative party members prioritize "combatting the woke agenda," but nonetheless, these so-called "culture wars" have dominated the debate over the party's leadership.
Foreign secretary Truss has also addressed the divisive gender and identity issues that have arisen throughout the Tory leadership race.
For instance, Truss has also advocated for single-sex restrooms, telling a hustings crowd this Thursday that she supports a rule that ensures schoolgirls can use the restroom in a secure setting.
"I've been very clear that single-sex spaces should be protected," she said.