The ‘eradication of structural racism would be a defining cause’ of Labour’s time in power. That’s what Keir Starmer said in 2020, a few months after the death of George Floyd. In the party’s election manifesto last year, it promised to introduce a Race Equality Act to root out racial inequalities as part of a broader racial justice agenda. This included addressing the treatment of black people under the Mental Health Act, appointing a ‘Windrush Commissioner’ and making big businesses publish ethnicity pay gap data.
Labour is betting that ethnic minority voters will remain loyal, even as their priorities are quietly shelved
But now, with Keir Starmer in No.10, much of this racial justice mission appears to have been forgotten.
Labour’s promised Race Equality Act has all but vanished. Where once there was talk of handing preferential access to government contracts for ‘African-heritage firms’, Labour’s race equality mission has been watered down into a new ‘Race Equality Engagement Group’ (announced in March) and a tepid call for evidence in April.
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