Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK unveils 'Inclusive Britain' action plan to tackle racial disparities

UK unveils 'Inclusive Britain' action plan to tackle racial disparities

UK has unveiled an ‘Inclusive Britain’ action plan with changes to policing, health and education to address racial disparities in the country. 

The plan, as a response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic disparities chaired by Tony Sewell, has more than 70 measures including greater scrutiny over the way police use stop and search powers and improvements to how ethnicity data is collected, media reports said. 


Ministers will also drop the term black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME). "Inclusive Britain recommends dropping the term BAME across government, as it is too much of a catch-all, and gathering more fine-grained data to inform future policymaking," the Guardian reported.

Inclusive Britain has been developed in response to the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 which led to the formation of the Commission. It has made a series of recommendations for reform, grouped under three key themes: building trust, promoting fairness, and creating agency.

The new measures include a new, national framework for police powers, an automatic "opt-in" pilot to help ethnic minorities and others receive legal advice when in police custody, a new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to improve health for everyone, the BBC reported.

Besides, a diverse panel of historians to develop a new knowledge-rich Model History Curriculum by 2024, exploring Britain's historical past and guidance to employers on how to measure and address the ethnicity pay gap, the report added.

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch MP said: "This is at the heart of our levelling up agenda. It's broader and more wide-ranging than any other review we've had into race and ethnicity in this country.

"The causes behind racial disparities are complex and often misunderstood.

"Our new strategy is about action, not rhetoric and will help create a country where a person's race, social or ethnic background is no barrier to achieving their ambitions."

But, Taiwo Owatemi MP, Labour's shadow equalities minister, said the report failed to deliver meaningful action, and let down ethnic minority communities.

"The next Labour government will introduce a landmark Race Equality Act to tackle racial inequality at its source and deliver security, prosperity and respect to everyone regardless of their background," the shadow minister was quoted as saying by the BBC.

The announcement builds on the Levelling Up White Paper published last month which aims to spread opportunities more equally across the country. Inclusive Britain was officially presented to business leaders, charities and public figures in Birmingham, the report further said.

Sunder Katwala, director of the independent thinktank British Future, said: “There is an appetite among the public for action to address racial inequality in Britain. The Sewell report was rightly criticised for being polarising. So we should not get stuck again on arguments about the language on race, for and against so-called ‘wokeism’ and ‘white privilege’. That could mean missing this opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives.

“We need action to tackle online hatred, CV discrimination in recruitment and to increase diversity in the police. Our school curriculum should help students of all backgrounds understand their stake in Britain’s history and how it helped shape the multi-ethnic society we share today.

“The government has set out a plan of action. These look like good foundations but we should now increase the ambition of the policies and what they can achieve," Katwala added.

When Sewell released the report by the Commission last March, it was met by an avalanche of criticism.

The Sewell report concluded that the “claim the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence”. It also downplayed structural racism, the wider political and social disadvantages within society.

More For You

Shabana Mahmood

Newly appointed home secretary Shabana Mahmood arrives at Number 10 at Downing Street as Keir Starmer holds a cabinet reshuffle on September 5, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Shabana Mahmood named home secretary, Lammy deputy to Starmer in major reshuffle

Highlights:

  • David Lammy becomes deputy prime minister while keeping foreign affairs brief
  • Angela Rayner resigned after admitting underpaid property tax
  • Lisa Nandy to stay on as culture secretary
  • Reshuffle marks first major shake-up of Starmer’s government

SHABANA MAHMOOD has been appointed home secretary in a major reshuffle of prime minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet following the resignation of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

Keep ReadingShow less
Epping protests

The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping triggered a series of demonstrations across the country during heightened tensions over immigration. (Photo: Getty Images)

Asylum seeker convicted of sex assaults case that led to protests

AN ETHIOPIAN asylum seeker, whose arrest in July led to protests outside a hotel near London where he and other migrants were housed, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman.

The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 20 miles (30 km) from London, triggered a series of demonstrations across the country during heightened tensions over immigration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Angela-Rayner-Getty

Rayner, 45, announced she would step down as deputy prime minister, housing minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party. (Photo: Getty Image)

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner resigns after admitting tax mistake

Highlights

  • Rayner steps down after admitting underpaying property tax
  • Resigns as deputy prime minister, housing minister and Labour deputy leader
  • Becomes eighth minister to leave Starmer’s government, and the most senior so far
  • Her departure comes as Labour trails Reform UK in opinion polls

DEPUTY prime minister Angela Rayner resigned on Friday after admitting she had underpaid property tax on a new home. Her resignation is a fresh setback for prime minister Keir Starmer, who had initially stood by her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Migrants boat
Migrants swim to board a smugglers' boat in order to attempt crossing the English channel off the beach of Audresselles, northern France. (Photo: Getty Images)

UK pauses refugee family reunion route amid migration reforms

Highlights:

  • Refugee family reunion scheme suspended as part of migration reforms
  • Nearly 21,000 visas issued in the past year, mainly to women and children
  • New rules to include contribution requirements and longer waiting periods
  • Government expects first migrant returns to France later this month

THE GOVERNMENT has announced it is suspending a scheme that allowed families of refugees in the UK to apply to join their relatives, as part of efforts to cut irregular migration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Angela-Rayner-Reuters

Angela Rayner arrives for a cabinet meeting at Downing Street on September 2, 2025. (Photo credit: Reuters)

Rayner's future uncertain as report on stamp duty case expected soon

DEPUTY prime minister Angela Rayner is awaiting the outcome of an investigation into her underpayment of stamp duty on a property in East Sussex, with the findings expected soon.

Prime minister Keir Starmer said he anticipated the report, led by ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus, would be delivered “pretty quickly.” He added: “Then, of course, I will act on whatever the report is that's put in front of me.”

Keep ReadingShow less