Political analysts said the comments were aimed at activists who Conservatives believe focus too much on aspects of the 2010 Equalities Act such as race, sex and gender reassignment while ignoring debate on class and geography.
And they said the Tories now wanted to switch the focus to the treatment of individuals over groups and believe that doing so can “level up” Britain and gain the support of even more Labour voters in the Midlands and north of England.
The backlash against the so-called woke movement gathered pace last summer when Black Lives Matter protests were held across the UK, statues of historic figures were destroyed or taken down, monuments to British war heroes were defaced and traditional British songs such as Land of Hope and Glory were initially removed from the Proms playlists.
A Tory insider said: “As we recover from the coronavirus, Liz thinks it’s important that everyone has a fair chance to succeed in life and get on.
“It’s a chance to build back better and seize the opportunity to deliver real change.
“The equality agenda has to be part of that.”
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Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University in London, said the war on woke was a challenge to the “silent revolution” of liberal and progressive attitudes.
He told the Politico website: “I guess you could summarise it as being against all things politically correct.
“The idea that somehow the pendulum has swung too far to the liberal side of things.”
Prof Bale said research suggested most people in Britain agreed racism existed and supported equal rights but were nevertheless largely “anti-woke”.
He said the Conservatives would find it easier to win more votes if they concentrated on a social values agenda and some party members are keen to battle it out with the woke movement.
Analysts said Boris Johnson has cultivated a brand of anti-political correctness.
He told the Conservative Party conference: “We are proud of this country’s culture and history and traditions.
“They literally want to pull statues down; to rewrite the history of our country; to edit our national CV to make it look more politically correct.”
But one senior Tory figure warned: “You don’t want to provoke it but you don’t want to shy away from it.
“It matters, but it’s not as important as delivering genuine opportunity for those communities.
“I would rather be judged by our deeds and actions rather than trying to weaponise this for electoral purposes.”
