How can Labour tackle race inequality?

On Thursday, much of the nation will go to the polls to select our local and European representatives. Labour has always believed in diversity and inclusion and its value to Britain. We know the value of selecting representatives that look like the electorate we want to serve.

Indeed two years ago, as Mo Farah crossed the finish line at the 5000m final to win his second gold medal of the London Olympics, the nation was united behind the victories of our multi-ethnic Olympians and Paralympians. The Olympics and Paralympics showcased our diversity to the world and truly put the “Great” back into Great Britain.

Mo Farah attended Feltham Community College and trained at Feltham Arenas in my constituency. His rise to the world stage was based on the principle of equality that we hold dear in this country. That anyone, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity can rise to the top of any profession if they are good enough.

Underpinning this success is a framework of rights and institutions which create the circumstances for individuals like Mo to enjoy an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential. Previous Labour Governments established the Equality and Human Rights Commission to act as a strong independent champion to tackle discrimination and promote equality. Labour’s 1968 Race Relations Act made it illegal, for the first time, to refuse housing, employment or public services to people on the basis of their ethnicity or background. Labour’s 2010 Equality Act further simplified and strengthened the law.

But only two years on from the celebrations of the Olympics, we know that stark levels of inequality remain, and addressing this requires new ideas and solutions. A non-white person is twice as likely to be unemployed as a white person in the UK, academic attainment is still linked to ethnicity and progress on ethnic minority representation in all walks of life has stalled. This needs to change.

At a time when ethnic minorities are being hit disproportionately by the cost of living crisis, the Government is trying to effectively turn back the clock on race equality. The statutory equality framework is being dismantled and there has been no movement towards developing a national race equality strategy because of the coming General Election, but because we have identified this problem and want to solve it. We need a strategy to address the inequalities that still exist and to support greater community cohesion.

Labour’s has been consulting on how we do this and our consultation document on ‘Your Britain’ can be found here. The consultation opened in October last year and will close in three weeks. I would therefore urge everyone to read the document and make a submission to the consultation. We need your help in order to achieve a produce a One Nation equality policy. Only when we come together to address this problem will we be able to hold up race equality as a prize in Britain’s social and economic interest.