London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

UK race equality think tank draws criticism on social media for ‘stoking divisions’ after claiming racism is ‘systemic’ in England

UK race equality think tank draws criticism on social media for ‘stoking divisions’ after claiming racism is ‘systemic’ in England

Social media users have accused a UK race relations think tank of “promoting bigotry” after it warned that racism is “systemic” in England with ethnic minorities facing disparities in various areas, including education and health.

In its new report on race equality, Runnymede Trust said legislation, institutional practices and societal customs continue to harm ethnic groups – who are “consistently more likely to live in poverty, to be in low-paid precarious work and to die of Covid-19.”

Noting that these inequities are “sustained across the areas of health, housing, criminal justice system, education, employment, immigration and political participation,” the group said the situation has “worsened” since the UK’s last periodic report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination five years ago.

Over that period, the report contends, the UK government has “failed to address” the issue and “is in breach” of its obligations under the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

The report, compiled by the Runnymede Trust in consultation with over 150 civil society organisations, claims that the government’s approach to issues of equality will “fail to improve these outcomes for BME (black and minority ethnic) communities and may in fact worsen them”.

It said this approach was exemplified by the government’s controversial ‘Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’ (CRED) report released earlier this year. The document concluded that the UK was not “deliberately rigged” against ethnic minorities and cautioned against overstating the problem of “institutional racism”.

Noting that this conclusion “misrepresents the scale and complexity of the issues and stands in stark contrast to the evidence” the trust received from civil society and race equality organisations, the Runnymede report accused the government of being “frustratingly slow” in implementing policies even in instances where “evidence of racism and discrimination in public institutions” has been highlighted.

In recent years, a number of official reviews have made recommendations on such race-related issues as police custodial deaths, workplace discrimination, the treatment of BME individuals in the criminal justice system and how BME groups are treated by public service bodies.

The report also takes aim at several proposed laws that “pose a threat to the rights of BME groups”, including the upcoming Electoral Integrity Bill, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, and the government’s New Immigration Plan.

“There are very clear signs that things are much worse in certain areas than they were before, and also upcoming legislative choices that are being put forward have real implications in each of these areas in terms of the rights of BME groups,” the report’s lead author Alba Kapoor told the Daily Mail.

However, an unnamed government spokeswoman told the paper that the report “contains many errors and is too simplistic in saying that structural or systemic racism is driving all the disparities outlined in their report.”

Stating that the CRED report recommendations would form the government’s action plan to tackle inequalities, she said, “We have made significant progress and in fact have gone far beyond our commitments to the ICERD since our last report in 2015 and will provide an update in due course.”

The report drew a mostly critical response from social media users with many people commenting that the trust “seems determined to stoke division in Britain”. Others said the group needed the report to have a “convenient conclusion” in order to justify its continued “relevance”.



However, some called the report timely given the tide of racial abuse directed at black footballers in the national team following its defeat in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday. One person said it was “time to listen”.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×