Anneliese Dodds reaffirms Labour’s promise to fight structural racism

Anneliese Dodds has reiterated Labour’s commitment to fighting structural racism with a “long-term” plan after its analysis of official figures revealed that Black households are five times more likely to struggle to make energy bill repayments.

People from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds were 2.5 times more likely to be in relative poverty, and 2.2 times more likely to live in deep poverty – which is defined as having an income more than 50% below the relative poverty line – than their white counterparts, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today.

Analysis by the Labour Party showed that Black households are also four times more likely to be behind on rent or mortgage payments than white adults and more than two-thirds of Black adults are finding it difficult to afford their energy bills – compared with 45% of all adults. Meanwhile, 21% of Black adults saying they are behind on payments, compared with 5% of all adults.

Anneliese Dodds accused the Tories of having “crashed the economy” and added that, “as usual”, they have “failed to take responsibility for fixing it”.

“The mental and physical toll put on people unable to heat their homes or keep a roof over their head is staggering – and it’s particularly intense for Black families, the Shadow women and Equalities Secretary said.

“Labour has a long-term plan to tackle the structural racism that scars our society and leaves Black, Asian and minority ethnic people worse off, through our Race Equality Act.

“And while the Conservatives fail to get a grip on this acute winter crisis we have practical, common-sense policies to help people with the cost of living, including by insulating homes and helping with the cost of childcare and broadband.”

The New Economics Foundation warned recently that BAME households will experience a rise in the cost of living 1.6 times higher than their white counterparts as people on low incomes are forced into pricier arrangements such as prepayment meters, higher-cost credit or being unable to buy everyday goods in bulk.

Keir Starmer committed to implementing a ‘Race Equality Act’ in October 2020 as the party launched a report examining the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities. The party held a series of roundtable talks to inform the planned legislation.

The report found that BAME communities have been disproportionately exposed to Covid by being overrepresented in public-facing industries, and that overcrowded housing stemming from income and wealth inequalities had exacerbated the issue.

The Labour leader said at the time the report should be a “turning point” and pledged to “introduce a new Race Equality Act to tackle the structural inequalities that led to the disproportionate impact of this crisis”.

Labour was criticised last month after plans to break with a previously agreed commitment to establish democratic wings for members from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic (BAME) background and for disabled members were revealed.