'Grassroots' Pressure Group Opposing Equality Act Is Bankrolled by Tufton Street-Linked Funder
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A group claiming to be an independent grassroots critic of Britain's Equality Act is actually being bankrolled by a charity spun out of Tufton Street's right-wing Centre for Policy Studies think tank, Byline Times can reveal.
Don't Divide Us (DDU) claims to be a "grassroots movement" composed of "all sorts of people who first came together in the summer of 2020 to contest the idea that Britain is systematically racist", while suggesting that it campaigns against a "racialised approach being rolled out across our institutions, and schools in particular".
On its 'beliefs' page, Don't Divide Us calls itself "the UK's Common-Sense Voice on Race", and claims "Today's so-called anti-racism sees group identity before it sees a person and risks reinforcing prejudice by dividing us into a world of victims and oppressors".
It has been cited in over half a dozen news articles throughout the last year, and many more times during 2023 and 2024, including appearances in leading newspapers such as The Times and Telegraph, as well as in the Spectator and Spiked Online.
The group has come out against pro Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures in workplaces, and has targeted schools for teaching about systemic racism, often landing favourable coverage in the right wing press.
Until now, no funding to this "grassroots" organisation has been revealed, but this outlet found that a recent cash injection has come from a charitable vehicle spun out of the Conservative Party-linked Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) as a means of attracting anonymous donations.
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Funding Revealed
The most recent accounts filed by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) - a registered charity - show a £20,000 donation for the year ending 2024 went to Don't Divide Us.
Companies House documents for 'Don't Divide Us Group Ltd' list its net assets for the year as £21,789. The only employee is director Alka Cuthbert, a contributor to Spiked Online and former Brexit Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastham.
The accounts for the Institute for Policy Research also reveal the names of some of the papers it has funded over the last 12 months, including one titled 'The Equality Act - Is It Fit for Purpose or Time for an Overhaul?'.
In June 2025, Don't Divide Us released a paper titled 'The Equality Act Isn't Working', which was the report later cited in the right wing press. In it, DDU argues that the Act isn't "fit for purpose", has led to an increase in race-based discrimination claims, and is creating issues in the workplace, ultimately calling for the subjective element to be stripped from equality law tests. Ultimately the report calls for the "eventual repeal" of all protected characteristics under the EA.
Neither DDU no
Packed with exclusive investigations, analysis, and features
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A group claiming to be an independent grassroots critic of Britain's Equality Act is actually being bankrolled by a charity spun out of Tufton Street's right-wing Centre for Policy Studies think tank, Byline Times can reveal.
Don't Divide Us (DDU) claims to be a "grassroots movement" composed of "all sorts of people who first came together in the summer of 2020 to contest the idea that Britain is systematically racist", while suggesting that it campaigns against a "racialised approach being rolled out across our institutions, and schools in particular".
On its 'beliefs' page, Don't Divide Us calls itself "the UK's Common-Sense Voice on Race", and claims "Today's so-called anti-racism sees group identity before it sees a person and risks reinforcing prejudice by dividing us into a world of victims and oppressors".
It has been cited in over half a dozen news articles throughout the last year, and many more times during 2023 and 2024, including appearances in leading newspapers such as The Times and Telegraph, as well as in the Spectator and Spiked Online.
The group has come out against pro Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures in workplaces, and has targeted schools for teaching about systemic racism, often landing favourable coverage in the right wing press.
Until now, no funding to this "grassroots" organisation has been revealed, but this outlet found that a recent cash injection has come from a charitable vehicle spun out of the Conservative Party-linked Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) as a means of attracting anonymous donations.
Don't miss a story
SIGN UP TO EMAIL UPDATES
Funding Revealed
The most recent accounts filed by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) - a registered charity - show a £20,000 donation for the year ending 2024 went to Don't Divide Us.
Companies House documents for 'Don't Divide Us Group Ltd' list its net assets for the year as £21,789. The only employee is director Alka Cuthbert, a contributor to Spiked Online and former Brexit Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastham.
The accounts for the Institute for Policy Research also reveal the names of some of the papers it has funded over the last 12 months, including one titled 'The Equality Act - Is It Fit for Purpose or Time for an Overhaul?'.
In June 2025, Don't Divide Us released a paper titled 'The Equality Act Isn't Working', which was the report later cited in the right wing press. In it, DDU argues that the Act isn't "fit for purpose", has led to an increase in race-based discrimination claims, and is creating issues in the workplace, ultimately calling for the subjective element to be stripped from equality law tests. Ultimately the report calls for the "eventual repeal" of all protected characteristics under the EA.
Neither DDU no
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