Keir Starmer admits Labour needs to do more to improve diversity in the party
Keir Starmer has admitted Labour needs to do more to improve diversity in its party.
The Labour leader said he wants a “diverse” party “that represents the communities” it wants to serve. But he was unable to say why nobody has so far been selected to stand as an MP from the party’s only scheme to support the next generation of ethnic minority politicians.
“In relation to representation in the Labour Party, yes, there’s always more that we need to do,” Mr Starmer said. “I want a Labour Party that is diverse, that represents the communities we seek to serve and there’s always more that we need to do.”
Asked by the Mirror about the lack of graduates selected from the Bernie Grant Leadership Programme, he said it “is a very, very good scheme”. “I am pleased that there’s really good diversity in the new candidates that we’re selecting for the next general election, obviously we’re not through that yet,” he said. “But do we want to step up to that challenge - we absolutely do want to step up to that challenge and that’s why we’re putting so much effort into the recruitment of the candidates into that general election.”
But insiders have expressed concerns about the lack of people from minority backgrounds selected so far. Labour has reportedly sped up its selection process to prepare for a potential election in the Spring. The Government must call an election by January 2025, but it could happen any time before then.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
In July, Sharon Grant, the widow of Bernie Grant, one of the country's first Black British MP, warned the Labour party needed to do more to help Black politicians rise through the party. Meanwhile, female and Black MPs criticised the party for choosing four white male candidates to stand for Labour in a string of by-elections this summer.
It emerged last week that all the recommendations of the Forde report into racism, bullying, sexism and factionalism in Labour have either been completed or considered. Some 154 of the 165 recommendations have been completed, with the remaining considered but not progressed, LabourList reported. The long-delayed Forde report, which was finally published in summer published last year, found “serious problems of discrimination in the operations of the party”.
A source from Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee, said there “is still more work to do, particularly on looking at how culture feeds into representation”. “But this is major progress for the party to get to this position and have not just ticked off the Forde report recommendations, but more importantly listened to members who have been complaining about this,” they told LabourList.
“The training we’ve been developing particularly around anti-Black racism has been in conjunction with lots of stakeholders, from unions to councillors who have experienced distasteful remarks and events. So there’s lots done but more to do. It’s encouraging we’re here and a clear contrast to where other political parties are. It’s a really good moment for the party.”
Martin Forde KC, who produced the report, had previously criticised the "slow progress" in implementing his recommendations.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
