Labour MPs' fury over rumoured role of key aide Munira Mirza in racism inquiry as they accuse Boris Johnson of 'waging culture war'

A top Downing Street adviser said to be leading the new commission has invited controversy for her comments on racism
Ewan Somerville16 June 2020
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Labour MPs have accused Boris Johnson of “trying to wage a culture war” with a new racial inequalities commission reportedly being formed by top Downing Street adviser.

Munira Mirza, the head of the Number 10 policy unit, is leading work to set up the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, launched in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, according to the Guardian and Financial Times.

The review comes during a wave of unrest sparked sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, in US police custody, which has seen the PM wade into a fierce reckoning with Britain’s colonial legacy, with historical statues at the forefront.

Number 10 said the inquiry would examine all elements of racial inequality across Britain, including in education and the criminal justice system.

Officials said it would assess the inequality experienced by white working class boys as well as black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) communities.

Downing Street adviser Munira Mirza is said to be chairing the new commission
Getty Images

But critics have poured cold water on the move, insisting it will be “dead on arrival” if chaired by Ms Mirza, who has expressed reservations about previous racism inquiries.

David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary who chaired a probe into the treatment of ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system in 2017, said: “My review was welcomed by all parties: Corbyn, Cameron and May.

“But Munira Mirza went out of her way to attack it. Johnson isn’t listening to #BlackLivesMatter. He’s trying to wage a culture war.”

Ms Mirza has been a vocal critic of some anti-racism initiatives. In columns for Spiked, the online libertarian magazine, she wrote about “the myth of institutional racism” and criticised “countless diversity policies that encourage people to see everything through the prism of racial difference”.

The Institute of Race Relations think tank had little faith in the inquiry. “Any enquiry into inequality has to acknowledge structural and systemic factors,” a spokesperson said.

Boris Johnson has been accused of trying to stoke a culture war
PA

“Munira Mirza’s previous comments describe a ‘grievance culture’ within the anti-racist field and she has previously argued that institutional racism is ‘a perception more than a reality’.

“It is difficult to have any confidence in policy recommendations from someone who denies the existence of the very structures that produce the social inequalities experienced by black communities.”

The Labour MP Diane Abbott, a former shadow home secretary, said: “A new race equalities commission led by Munira Mirza is dead on arrival. She has never believed in institutional racism.”

Labour MP Dawn Butler said: “I am tired of fighting the government on this issue. The only review needed is a review into all the past consultations and reviews as well as their failure to implement over 200 prior recommendations.”

Mr Johnson revealed the new inquiry in two lines of his Daily Telegraph column on Monday that said he would fight with “every breath in my body” to protect Winston Churchill’s memorial in Parliament Square amid calls for it to be toppled, saying the UK “cannot Photoshop its history”.

It prompted Mr Lammy to say it was “written on the back of a fag packet” and too vague to properly tackle racial inequality.

Ms Mirza has also raised concerns about previous racism inquiries. In a 2017 Spectator article, she said Theresa May’s audit into racial inequalities in public services showed “anti-racism is becoming weaponised across the political spectrum”.

Confirming the new commission on Monday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it “will be examining, in detail, racial and ethnic inequalities in Britain but it will also look at other, wider, inequalities”, however the membership has not been officially announced.

A report and recommendations is expected by the end of the year.

The Standard has approached Number 10 for comment.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in