Business Progress on Diversity Targets But Lots to Do

It’s time for a Parker Review for Disability! Over the past decade, the The Parker Review has shown what happens when the UK sets a clear expectation for representation in leadership. When the review began in 2015, ethnic minority representation on FTSE 100 boards was extremely limited. Today, 98 of the FTSE 100 have at least one ethnic minority director, demonstrating the power of transparency, targets and accountability. But one group remains almost entirely invisible in boardrooms: disabled people. Even though the UK Government estimates disabled people amount to approximately 25% of the population. With the UK Government expected to introduce mandatory race and disability pay-gap reporting through the upcoming Equality legislation in 2026, this is a pivotal moment. Transparency on pay should be matched by transparency on leadership representation. A “Parker Review for Disability” could track representation of disabled people across FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 boards and executive leadership, creating the same kind of momentum that transformed ethnic diversity in UK boardrooms. Disabled people represent around 16 million people in the UK. Yet our presence in corporate leadership remains largely absent from public reporting and governance debates. If the UK wants to lead on inclusive growth and modern corporate governance, this feels like the logical next step. “It means that 98 of FTSE 100 companies now have at least one ethnic minority director on their board, rising from 95 in 2024. The Parker Review was launched in 2015 as part of efforts to drive an improvement in diversity across senior leadership roles in the UK’s largest companies.” Keir Starmer House of Commons UK House of Lords Office for Equality and Opportunity Cabinet Office Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) #DWP Financial Reporting Council London Stock Exchange Institute of Directors (IoD) CBI (Confederation of British Industry) Business Disability Forum Valuable 500 Disability Rights UK Inclusion London #London PurpleSpace Zero Project Department for Business and Trade The Disability Policy Centre FTSE Russell, An LSEG Business Policy Connect Policy Exchange IPPR HM Treasury 10 Downing Street The Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Centre for Social Justice Resolution Foundation #Disability #FTSE #UK #MP