London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 15, 2026

Term ‘white privilege’ disadvantages white working-class kids, MPs’ report finds, reigniting Britain’s race row

Term ‘white privilege’ disadvantages white working-class kids, MPs’ report finds, reigniting Britain’s race row

A new report which claims the term “white privilege” can be “divisive” and disadvantgaes the white working class has sparked fresh debate on “racist Britain", with some accusing the government of deflecting from its own errors.

The report by MPs on the Education Select Committee, released on Monday, has caused a stir, after it suggested that white working-class children have been left behind, partially due to potentially “divisive” terms such as “white privilege.”

The Education Select Committee, which consists of serving MPs, accused the Department for Education (DfE) of failing to realise the extent of the challenge which had left working-class kids behind for generations.

Conservative MP and committee chairman Robert Halfon said Britain “desperately” needs to “move away from dealing with racial disparity by using divisive concepts like white privilege that pits one group against another," adding: “Disadvantaged white children feel anything but privileged when it comes to education.”

The report has been widely condemned by Twitter’s serial complainers, with many accusing the committee of siding with Boris Johnson’s non-woke Tory government. The report’s findings broadly reflect views already expressed by the controversial Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities which was set up following Black Lives Matter activities in 2020. The commission had been accused of whitewashing a report into discrimination in the UK.

Commenting on the new report, British author Eve Ainsworth said she had always been aware of her “white privilege” despite her working-class background and denounced Johnson’s “elitist” government for not being able to separate the two.


Activist and outspoken leftist Femi Oluwole was also quick to defend the use of the term “white privilege” and seemed to question whether the white working class really were disadvantaged by their situation.

“Like most black kids, my parents told me I needed to work twice as hard as the white kids at school in order to succeed. Turned out to be a statistical fact,” he wrote, adding ironically that the Tories seem to believe educational inequality stems from racism against white kids.


Others dismissed the committee’s findings entirely and blasted Conservative austerity instead.

“The “systemic neglect” of white working-class pupils is due to teaching concepts like “#WhitePrivilege,” rather than, say, 10-years of ideologically-driven austerity?” the Northern Independence Party, a left-wing party demanding independence for Northumbria and beyond, wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, some were keen to share more sympathetic perspectives and the report generated plenty of support from Brits who want to push back against the BLM movement, notably the groups that demand British pupils learn about “white privilege.”

Journalist and former MEP Martin Daubney welcomed the report, noting that white kids have been left behind due to the “toxic myth” that is “white privilege.”

Another person questioned the psychological impact of teaching a young child the concept of being privileged because of their skin colour, claiming the term is the “most racist” imaginable.

Others made jibes that those who support the term “white privilege.” One wrote: “Back in the 80’s when my cleaning job, outside a building on The Strand, meant I used to have to roll human shit onto a shovel every day, I always took a moment to check my #WhitePrivilege.”

Amid the ongoing row on racism in Britain in the aftermath of the BLM movement, the report highlights that the UK’s white working-class kids are perennially under-performers compared to all non-white counterparts.

With regards to A-level and college exams, only 16% of white British pupils, who are given free school meals due to their financial position, get university places. By comparison, 59% of black African pupils on free meals and 59% of Bangladeshi pupils on free meals, get their university places.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Spain and UK Dismantle Gibraltar Border Following Landmark Schengen Integration Treaty
Church of England Rejects Plan to Rewild Thirty Percent of Land by 2030
UK Parliament Examines Future of Gaelic Broadcasting in Scotland
Thames Water Faces Criticism Over Four Million Pounds in Bonus Payments
South East Water Crisis Puts UK Water Regulation Under Renewed Scrutiny
UK Report Highlights Racial Inequality in Homelessness Support Services
UK Government Defends Proposed Social Media Curfew for Teenagers Despite Criticism
Reform UK Gains Recognition as Major Political Party in New Polling
Labour Party Faces Internal Divisions Over Gaza Policy and Asylum Reform
Experts Warn UK Housing and Transport Infrastructure Is Unprepared for Rising Extreme Heat
UK Human Rights Committee Begins Review of Immigration and Asylum Bill
UK Parliament Launches Inquiry Into Declining High Streets Across England
Bank of England Governor Warns of Growing AI Risks to Global Financial Security
UK Public Finance Institutions Mobilize Fifty Billion Pounds to Support Growth and Jobs
UK Parliament Opens Inquiry Into Long-Term Strategy Toward Russia
UK-India Trade Agreement Takes Effect With Zero-Duty Access for Nearly All Indian Exports
Forget Tinder: The Surprising Platform Where People Find Love
UK Government Faces Growing Debate Over Local Control of Immigration Enforcement
UK Biodiversity Forum Highlights Business Need to Protect Natural Environment
UK Parliament to Consider Workplace Temperature Limits Amid Climate Concerns
UK Parliament Considers Independent Immigration Appeals Authority Proposal
BBC Charter Renewal Scrutiny Intensifies as Parliament Reviews Broadcaster’s Future
Parliament Reviews Future of UK Maternity and Neonatal Care Services
UK-India Trade Accelerator Launched to Help Smaller Firms Expand Into Indian Market
UK Business Leaders Meet in Edinburgh to Address Economic Risks From Biodiversity Loss
UK Parliament Prepares for Sir Keir Starmer’s Final Prime Minister’s Questions Before Leadership Transition
Green Party-Led Lewisham Council Moves Against Cooperation With Home Office Immigration Raids
UK Government Faces Parliamentary Pressure Over Capita Contracts in Shared Services Programme
UK Economy Expected to See Modest Growth as OECD Highlights Fiscal and Global Risks
Public Accounts Committee Warns UK Government’s Four Point Three Billion Pound Shared Services Plan Risks Failure
EU and UK Sign Agreement Removing Gibraltar Border Controls After Years of Post-Brexit Uncertainty
OECD Warns UK Must Maintain Fiscal Discipline as Andy Burnham Prepares to Become Prime Minister
UK-India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force as Businesses Seek New Growth Opportunities
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
On the Island That Did Not Yield to Trump, There Is No Electricity, and 10 Million Live in Darkness
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
Key Trends to Watch
United Nations Expert Calls for Full Implementation of Supreme Court Ruling on Legal Definition of Sex
Industry Coalition Urges Labour Lawmakers to Back Continued North Sea Oil and Gas Production
Parliamentary Committee Calls for Tougher Restrictions on Unhealthy Food Advertising
Government Expands Awaab's Law to Cover Heat and Additional Housing Hazards
Energy Regulator Opens Independent Investigation Into National Grid Operator
United Kingdom and European Union Sign Landmark Gibraltar Border Agreement
Chancellor Unveils Financial Services Reform and Artificial Intelligence Strategy at Mansion House
Counterterrorism Police Take Over Investigation Into Killing of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
Beer Industry Warns UK Rules Could Limit Growth of Alcohol-Free Market
Home Office Faces Legal Challenges Over Asylum Seeker Accommodation Closures
UK Heatwaves Linked to More Than Two Thousand Seven Hundred Deaths as Climate Debate Intensifies
Home Secretary Faces Pressure Over Political Security After Ann Widdecombe Murder Investigation
×