When headlines lie and people suffer, leadership must rise. Equality is not a favour, it’s a right.
What’s really behind the relentless media attacks on trans people, migrants, and Muslims?
It’s a question every ethical leader, educator, policymaker, and citizen must face. Because while we’re bombarded with fear-based narratives, about trans women in toilets, “illegal migrants” taking jobs, ethnically diverse people failing to integrate, those truly responsible for Britain’s decline escape scrutiny.
This is not accidental. It’s strategic.
The Real Crisis Isn’t Toilets, It’s Trust, Truth, and Inequality
Let’s look at the facts:
- Income inequality in the UK is at its highest level in over a decade. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the top 10% of earners now take home over 40% of national income, while millions rely on food banks (The Trussell Trust distributed 3.1 million food parcels in 2023–24).
- Real wages are lower today than in 2008. The Institute for Fiscal Studies confirms the UK has seen the worst wage growth of any G7 country.
- Public services are crumbling. NHS waiting lists hit a record 7.54 million in early 2024. Local councils face bankruptcy, and teachers, nurses, and social workers are leaving in droves due to stress, underfunding, and low morale.
- Housing is unaffordable. Average house prices have risen over 70% since 2010, while wages have stagnated. 1 in 5 renters spends more than 40% of their income on rent.
Yet none of this dominates our headlines. Instead, week after week, we see story after story stoking fear and division.
Who Benefits From the Fear?
Let’s be clear: Billionaire-owned media outlets publish hundreds of stories each month targeting trans people, migrants, and Muslims. According to LGBTQ+ charity Galop, 70% of trans people have experienced abuse in the street. Hate crime against Muslims rose by 42% in 2023. Far from being informed, the public is being manipulated.
Why?
Because division is a powerful distraction. When people are taught to fear one another, they’re less likely to organise and challenge the status quo. This tactic is centuries old. Victorian mill owners used it to divide Irish and English workers. Fascist leaders in the 20th century exploited it to create enemies. Today, it’s used to prop up broken systems and failing governments.
This Is Cruel Britannia, By Design, Not By Default
From asylum seekers detained on barges to protest bans and trans healthcare restrictions, cruelty is being legislated. As someone who works across sectors, I’ve heard the phrase “Cruel Britannia” used in São Paulo, Lisbon, and Berlin. It’s becoming our international brand.
But it doesn’t have to be our future.
Reclaim the Narrative. Rebuild with Courage.
We must choose a different path, one rooted in kindness, evidence, and equality. Here’s how:
1. Reject Lies in Everyday Conversations
Ask yourself: When a colleague repeats a harmful media trope, do you challenge it?
Get used to being uncomfortable. Say things like:
- “That’s not actually true, did you know…?”
- “That narrative comes from a newspaper that has a track record of stoking hate.”
- “Here’s the real reason why public services are under strain, it’s not immigration.”
Courage is contagious. Be the one who starts the shift.
2. Use Your Platform to Tell Better Stories
Organisations, charities, councils, and schools can all do better. Ask:
- Are we profiling our trans, Muslim, and migrant staff and celebrating their contributions?
- Do our communications reflect solidarity and diversity, or silence?
- Are we only reacting to media narratives, or are we setting our own?
Run inclusive campaigns. Share real stories. Refuse to water them down to appease critics.
3. Influence Government with Evidence and Values
- Tell MPs, civil servants, and councillors how much these narratives are harming your organisation, school, or service.
- Share data about the value of migrant and minority workers: For example, migrants contribute £25 billion annually to the UK economy (Oxford Economics, 2023).
- Trans people face double the unemployment rate of the general population—not because they’re unqualified, but because of discrimination (Stonewall, 2022).
And when regressive laws are passed, don’t pre-emptively comply. Delay. Challenge. Use the law where you can. Wait for enforcement rather than enabling injustice.
What Kind of Britain Do You Want to Live In?
One where we weaponise fear and cruelty? Or one where every human being is treated with dignity, regardless of their gender, religion, or birthplace?
Leadership isn’t measured by compliance, it’s measured by conscience.
The time to act is now.
Because equality isn’t a debate. It’s a right.