Woke RAF bosses booted white male pilots off courses to meet diversity targets

WOKE Royal Air Force bosses ordered white male pilots to be booted off courses to meet recruitment targets.

A bombshell email shows Top Brass ordered wannabe pilots hoofed off their selection courses unless they were “BAME and female”.

The RAF denied it had put national security at risk by pausing recruitment of white males in a bid to boost diversity.

The email ordered training staff to “remove booked pilot candidates” from a computer based aptitude tests “unless BAME and female”.

It also called for white male drone crew and weapons systems operators to be removed as they were lower priority than black, ethnic minority and female candidates.

The ploy was only stopped when rank and file junior staff refused to carry out the potentially illegal order in Sept 2020. 

It follows the shock resignation last week of the head of RAF recruitment in protest at “impossible” diversity targets.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey vowed anyone guilty of discrimination “will be held vigorously to account”.

Before any job offer is made, aptitude tests are usually carried out, and include a written, fitness, medical, psychometric and leadership tests, as well as an interview and group discussion.

Boss of RAF recruitment Air Vice-Marshal Maria Byford, chief of staff personnel and air secretary, said she is “unashamed” of the force’s diversity targets, amid claims that it has effectively paused its recruitment of white men. She said that recruiting more women and ethnic minorities would result in “a better service in the long run”.

Former health secretary Sajid Javid said it would be “complete nonsense” if the RAF has paused recruitment of white males.

PM hopeful, Rishi Sunak, said: “The only thing that should matter in recruitment is the content of your character, not your sex or the colour of your skin.

An RAF spokesperson said: “The Royal Air Force was already aware of this email from September 2020. The email was challenged at the time by a junior officer from our recruiting staff, and the Royal Air Force senior leadership took immediate action to address this erroneous direction. 

“From October 2020, the RAF provided immediate training to Area Commanders and RAF personnel at Armed Forces Careers Offices to ensure selection and recruiting activities were consistent with legislation.  

“Training to clarify the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is delivered to all recruiting staff as part of their pre-employment training.”