HM Revenue and Customs has sparked outrage after holding a taxpayer-funded event titled “The Guilt of Being British” during working hours – as thousands of frustrated callers struggle to reach the agency by phone. The hour-long “listening circle” was hosted on Wednesday by HMRC’s internal Race Network and offered staff a chance to explore “the emotional weight of colonial history,” “dual identity,” and the “guilt, pride, and identity” of being South Asian and British.

According to an internal advert, the remote session also promised insights into the career challenges faced by South Asian women with the intention of helping staff “reclaim our narratives” through storytelling. Held between 11am and midday – prime operating hours for one of Britain’s most criticised public-facing departments – the session has provoked fierce backlash from politicians, campaigners, and even some civil servants. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch blasted the event as “nonsense,” warning that it undermines public trust in government services.

She told MailOnline: “Is it any wonder the public hate dealing with HMRC, now we learn the staff are being taught to feel guilty about being British?

“In government I fought to remove all this nonsense from the Civil Service. Under my leadership, a Conservative government will ensure public bodies are proud of Britain, not ashamed of it.

“We’ll defend our history, not apologise for it. And if that offends the Civil Service’s seminar circuit, they’re welcome to go somewhere else.”

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg added: “It is peculiar that people who hate their country want to run it. Perhaps I should offer a course on why being British is to win first prize in the lottery of life.”

While HMRC declined to confirm how many employees attended the event, a spokesperson said it would have been less than 0.1% of the department’s 60,000 staff and claimed it had “no impact on our ability to staff our helplines.”

But that reassurance has done little to dampen criticism, especially given recent damning findings about HMRC’s customer service performance.

A report by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee earlier this year found that HMRC answered just 66.4% of calls from taxpayers – far below the 85% target. In the past year, over 40,000 callers were cut off after waiting more than 70 minutes, without an explanation or a callback option. Average wait times exceeded 23 minutes, with many customers reporting being abruptly disconnected.

Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are fed up of bankrolling woke staff networks. While HMRC quangocrats sit around in circles whining about colonialism, hard-working Brits are being left on hold for hours on end.”

One anonymous civil servant said: “This example of a work-time staff event pushing a highly divisive anti-British narrative perfectly encapsulates the nightmare that is Civil Service staff networks.

“Those focused on race and trans in particular seem to operate entirely without scrutiny, and attract large numbers of activist staff, intent on pushing their personal beliefs on their colleagues.”

The HMRC Race Network defended the session as part of its diversity and inclusion work.

According to its internal description, the aim was to provide a “powerful, interactive, and reflective” space to explore identity and heritage in the context of Britain’s colonial past.

However, critics argue that such events blur the lines between personal introspection and workplace politics – particularly when run during working hours and funded by public money.

The row comes just days after it was revealed NHS trusts across the UK budgeted nearly £2 million for similar internal networks, some of which hosted staff events like “Embracing Asexuality” and “International Pronouns Day.”

As questions mount over how public money is being spent behind the scenes, many are now calling for tighter scrutiny of staff networks across government departments.

An HMRC spokesman said: “Internal events by staff networks should not be taken as reflecting the views of HMRC.

“An event like this would only be attended by around 0.1% of staff, which would have no impact on our ability to staff our helplines. We have robust processes in place to ensure our phonelines are well-resourced throughout the day.”