Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Johnson’s former senior black aide accuses Tories of stoking “culture war”

Johnson’s former senior black aide accuses Tories of stoking “culture war”

PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson's former race adviser, Samuel Kasumu, said he feels the government is stoking a “bitter culture war” that could lead to another “Jo Cox, Stephen Lawrence and Windrush scandal” - referring to the murder of a Labour MP, a black teenager and discrimination by the Home Office against migrants predominantly from the Caribbean.

In an interview with the Guardian, Kasumu urged politicians to dial down the rhetoric, instead of inflaming tensions.


He said, “If I was going to go to William Hill today and place a bet on what the most likely option is, I’d probably say a Jo Cox, a Stephen Lawrence, a Windrush scandal is where we’re headed if you don’t find a way to overcome this cultural moment.”

Ministers “must be the ones to try to help drive that change”, he said, in comments made for the first time since his resignation in April as the prime minister’s special adviser for civil society and communities.

The 33-year-old also alleged that some people in the government feel like the right way to win is to pick a fight on the “culture war and to exploit division”.

Kasumu noted how people have short memories and have “already forgotten about Jo Cox”, the MP who was murdered by an extremist this week five years ago while campaigning in her constituency of Batley and Spen in north Yorkshire.

GettyImages 542127750 Members of the public attend a memorial event for murdered Labour MP Jo Cox at Trafalger Square on June 22, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Referring to the 2016 incident, Kasumu said it was his belief that the man who killed Cox was “radicalised” and worked into a “frenzy” by the culture war narratives in certain newspapers and pushed by media commentators.

Describing the prime minister as a liberally minded person, Kasumu said there is a disconnect between Johnson and “Johnsonism”.

“When I think about my interactions with the prime minister, he was always very supportive about things that I wanted to do. And I would actually go further and say that he was often more keen for me to go further, to be even more ambitious,” he said.

Kasumu’s revelations come after his resignation letter from February was leaked, as he accused the Conservatives of pursuing a “politics steeped in division” and his suggestion that equalities minister Kemi Badenoch may have broken the ministerial code in her Twitter attack against a black female journalist.

At the time, he was reportedly persuaded to remain in place by UK vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi to continue his work on overcoming hesitancy to the Covid-19 jab among certain communities.

Kasumu later quit in April after a government-backed review said Britain is no longer a country where the “system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”.

More For You

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Diwali

This year’s Diwali event will still see Belgrave Road continue to host what is left of the festival. (Representational image)

Major changes announced for Leicester’s Diwali celebrations amid safety fears

LDRS

THIS year’s annual Diwali celebrations will be stripped back amid public safety fears. Leicester City Council has said there will be no fireworks or stage entertainment as part of major changes announced for the event.

Cossington Street Recreation Ground will also not be used for the festivities, the council has revealed. The green space previously was the location for the main stage and the Diwali Village with its food stalls, funfair rides, fashion and arts. The annual fire garden display was also based there, offering “a peaceful oasis amid the festive excitement”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Corbyn- Zarah Sultana

Zarah Sultana with Jeremy Corbyn during a protest outside Downing Street demanding the UK government to stop all arms sales to Israel. (Photo: X/@zarahsultana)

X/@zarahsultana

Zarah Sultana leaves Labour, plans new party with Corbyn and independents

FORMER Labour MP Zarah Sultana has announced her resignation from the party and plans to launch a new political party alongside ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other independent MPs and activists.

Sultana, who represents Coventry South, lost the Labour whip last year for supporting the removal of the two-child benefit cap.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hasmukh Shah

The certificate was presented to Shah at the Welsh parliament by Anita Bailey, Home Office Director Windrush Unit.

Hasmukh Shah receives UK minister’s certificate of appreciation

A prominent Asian doctor has been recognised for his services to the community. Prof Hasmukh Shah has received a certificate of appreciation for his contribution and services to the United Kingdom.

The certificate was issued by Seema Malhotra MP, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship, as part of the Windrush Cymru Elders and Race Council Cymru’s Windrush work in Wales.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai-Lama-Getty

Dalai Lama looks on as offerings presented by Buddhist followers are laid on a table during a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, on June 30, 2025.(Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

India says Dalai Lama alone can decide successor

A SENIOR Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organisation he has established have the authority to decide his successor as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The comment runs contrary to China’s long-standing position on the matter.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said on Wednesday that after his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader, and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be able to identify his successor. He had earlier said that the next Dalai Lama would be born outside China.

Keep ReadingShow less