London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

New commission on racial inequality is 'back of a fag packet' plan, Labour says

The Labour Party have slammed Boris Johnson’s announcement of a new cross-government team to look into racial inequality as a ‘back of a fag packet’ plan.
Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said the proposal was drawn up to ‘assuage the Black Lives Matter protest’.

He argued that without any details on the plan there was nothing to separate it from other reviews into racism in recent years – and amounts to saying ‘we want figures, data – but we don’t want action’.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the prime minister said the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities will look at ‘all aspects of inequality – in employment, in health outcomes, in academic and all other walks of life’.

An independent chairperson will lead the team, which will include people ‘with a mix of ethnic, social and professional backgrounds’, and will be overseen by Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch.

Mr Lammy told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I don’t know why he’s announced a commission behind a paywall, in the Telegraph, buried in the middle of yet another article about Churchill.

‘If he was serious, why are there no details about how it will be staffed, its remit, its terms of reference, its timetable? That’s the question.’

He said it is ‘deeply worrying’ that the country is still ‘having a conversation about whether racism actually exists’ and that the Tories want a ‘culture war because they want to distract from the central issue’.

The MP for Tottenham added: ‘And, frankly, when you watch a man die like we did in eight minutes and 46 seconds – I’d like to ask Boris Johnson why he thinks the way to commemorate his death is to announce yet another commission, and why he insists on talking about statues.’

Mr Johnson told broadcasters today: ‘What I really want to do as Prime Minister is change the narrative so we stop the sense of victimisation and discrimination.

‘We stamp out racism and we start to have a real sense of expectation of success. That’s where I want to get to but it won’t be easy.’

Lord Woolley of Woodford, a crossbencher who leads the advisory group to the government’s Race Disparity Unit, said what the PM was referring to is ‘real discrimination’ and that some of his language is ‘frankly unhelpful’.

David Isaac, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission called for ‘urgent action’ rather than more reviews.

He said: ‘We know the scale of the problems we face to tackle the entrenched racial inequality in our country. It is not new. There have been countless reports and the data exists exposing all the issues.’
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×