Thread by @thetimes

The government’s race review has come under intense criticism over claims that it whitewashes examples of racism in the UK and seeks to ‘put a positive spin on slavery’ and the British Empire
thetimes.co.uk/article/anger-…

On Tuesday, the government released a summary outlining a report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities into racism in the UK

It hailed Britain as a model on race, saying that the country had become a more open society and that racial inequalities had narrowed

But the release of the full report yesterday, alongside the resignation of the prime minister’s top black adviser, Samuel Kasumu, has called its findings into question

So what does the report say?

Education 🧑‍🎓

Branded “the single most emphatic success story” for racial equality, the report argues that Britain should be a model for other countries

It also recommended lengthening the school day to help prevent students from falling behind

Employment 👩‍💼

To “advance fairness in the workplace”, the commission called for organisations to “move away” from funding unconscious bias training, replacing it with interventions such as “training and routine skills support for all employees"

Crime and policing 👮

The report found that people from ethnic minorities are disproportionately the victims of crime.

It also concluded that the police force lacks diversity and does not command the trust of these communities - but defended stop-and-search

Social media 👩‍💻

The report said that social media platforms “provide racists with a new, more public – and more powerful – way to inflict pain and suffering on a host of new victims.”

Why has the report been criticised? 

Dr Tony Sewell’s comment in the report that “there is a new story about the Caribbean experience” that is “not only about profit and suffering” has come under fire from academics and think tanks

Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a race inequality think tank said it sounded “as though it’s something Thomas Cook should be selling — a one-way shackled cruise to purgatory.”

Sathnam Sanghera (@Sathnam), author of Empireland, argues that the report “loses credibility when it claims Britain “no longer” has a system rigged against people from ethnic minorities.”
thetimes.co.uk/article/race-r…

However Mercy Muroki (@MercyMuroki), a signatory to the report, argues that “the race lobby will attack a straw man and resort to ad hominem insults because they’re not willing to engage with evidence they do not like.”
thetimes.co.uk/article/the-ra…

You can read more on the findings of the report below:
thetimes.co.uk/article/key-fi…