In the runup to Exeter Pride, some of our sponsorships have come under close scrutiny. We welcome this engagement, and we recognise we may have made decisions that are disappointing to many in our community. We value this feedback, and we are committed to being transparent in our decisions and processes.

We recognise that the situation in Gaza is an exceptional one. And it is a situation that has changed, and worsened, since our Ethical Sponsorship Policy was written and the particular decisions made regarding the sponsors being highlighted. 

Exeter Pride is in two days time, and we are currently working as hard as we can to deliver Pride safely and to the high standard that we strive for, and our community expects. At the moment that is, and must be, our focus.

After Pride has concluded, we will be engaging with the Exeter Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others as part of the work of our Ethical Sponsorship Steering Committee to examine and consider any review our policies.

In developing our Ethical Sponsorship Policy in 2024, we highlighted several considerations in accepting sponsorship which include Arms Manufacturing. However, any ethical sponsorship policy needs to maintain a pragmatic balance. In an interconnected and complex world, finding a sponsor who does not have some level of indirect connections to issues of ethical concern is an almost impossible task. The balance we established within our Policy was to consider the direct links to the oppression of LGBTQ+ people, or direct links to other highlighted issues. Evidence of these would constitute a failure of the policy.

Recognising that Exeter Pride is run entirely by volunteers, we strive to collate the most relevant information and undertake as robust due diligence as we are able to with the means and information that we have.

In considering Howmet Aerospace, we identified that they are primarily a commercial aerospace company. Their defence sector work is a small part of their earnings, and, in the US, they make aerospace components; engine components and fastenings, for Lockheed Martin to build and maintain the F35.

These are the same types of components they make in their civilian business, but to the specifications for the F35. 

Howmet are a local employer, manufacturing Civil aerospace components in the UK. In our due diligence we considered the Campaign Against Arms Trade listing regarding the F35 programme and involvement of Howmet Aerospace in the Arms Trade. Howmet is not listed as a UK supplier for the F35 or any involvement in the UK arms trade (https://caat.org.uk/data/companies/?nameSearch=howmet). Howmet have also previously sponsored Exeter Pride for the last two years.

Therefore, at the time of our decision, the Exeter Pride Committee did not consider that Howmet met the definition of an arms manufacturer as defined in our Ethical Sponsorship Policy. We deemed them to be a general aerospace/engineering company who, at an international level, make components used in the defence sector. That link was indirect enough, based on the information at the time, to warrant accepting their sponsorship.

Our policy would have precluded sponsorship from companies directly involved in arms manufacturing, e.g Lockheed Martin for the F-35 (or Babcock as was the case at Plymouth Pride last year).

We recognise that the Genocide in Gaza is an exceptional situation, so we are open to discussions, after Pride, to look at where we draw the line on indirect involvements in our policy.

Secondly, in relation to our sponsorship from PPP Taking Care/AXA Health, we similarly examined their case in relation to our Policy. PPP Taking Care operate in-home alarm systems that enable elderly and disabled people in the South West to live more independently in their homes. They are owned by AXA Health, who are owned by AXA Insurance. We recognise that AXA Insurance have many investments that are unpopular in our community, but those are investments made by the owners of the owners of the company who has supported our Pride. We recognise that their name/brand may have an association with those investments, but the work of our sponsors does not, in our view, fail to meet the requirements of our current policy.

Once we have delivered Exeter Pride, we are keen to engage with the Exeter Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others as part of the work of our Ethical Sponsorship Steering Committee to examine and consider any review of our policy for next year.