Labour’s race adviser accuses Keir Starmer of ‘not listening’ to her

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to listen to Labour’s race relations advisers.

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, the mother of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence, reportedly told a private meeting of Labor minority MPs and peers on Tuesday: “I hope Keir will listen to me. .”

Baroness Lawrence allegedly complained about “gatekeepers” around the Labor leader preventing her from doing her job,era Reports say she no longer knows how to respond to complaints about the party from black and minority ethnic voters.

Her comments at a closed-door meeting of the Labor Party’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Section in Parliament come amid growing unease over the treatment of Black and Asian Labor MPs and constituents, including against members of the British Parliament Diane Abbott’s long-term investigation. The first black female congresswoman.

Baroness Lawrence is also said to have suggested Sir Keir needed to spend more time visiting diverse communities and churches with black congregations.

She reportedly questioned the party’s decision to scale back the size of the conference, where Sir Keir was due to unveil plans for new race equality legislation last month.

independent It was reported at the time that the meeting, which was seen as a pro-Palestinian protest, was scaled back at the last minute due to security concerns and that leading lawmakers vowed to stay away from the event.

Baroness Lawrence was appointed as Labour’s race relations adviser in 2020 after campaigning for justice for her family following highly publicized racist murders in south London in the 1990s.

As a Labor adviser, her first duty will be to investigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on ethnic minority communities.

The pair have made a number of public appearances since Sir Keir became Labor leader, including releasing a report on Labour’s proposed race equality bill, which the party said would provide benefits to black, Asian, minority ethnic and disabled workers for the first time. Provide comprehensive equal pay rights for equal work.

baroness lawrence told era She does not doubt Sir Keir’s commitment to fighting racism. She said: “Of course I will always push the party to do more because the fight for equality is never over, but I have known Keir for many years and I have no doubt about his commitment to equality and the fight against racism. Commitment. That’s why I’m proud to be working with Labor on our plan for a new Racial Equality Bill.”

Multiple Labor sources have previously revealed independent As highlighted in the Ford report, the party needs to “put its house in order” by addressing racial discrimination within the party. The inquiry exposed a “racist hierarchy” within the Labor Party, with many saying they believed the “overwhelmingly white” party was unwelcoming to people of colour.

Sir Keir apologized for the findings but Mr Ford has since criticized the speed at which Labor implemented its recommendations to improve its handling of sexism, racism, bullying and factionalism.

As of December, only 154 of the 165 proposals had been implemented.

Ms Abbott was suspended from the whip last April after she wrote a letter suggesting that Jews did not suffer the same racism as some other ethnic minorities.

She immediately apologized and said the letter was published in observer It was the “first draft” that was sent in error. But the Labor leadership has yet to reinstate the whip.

independent Ms Abbott was offered to be caned again by Labor but she refused because she had to undergo anti-Semitism training, it was told.

The Labor leader previously condemned Tory donor Frank Hester’s claims that Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black people”.

The ordeal has led to calls from some inside and outside the party for Hackney MPs to reinstate the whip, but Sir Keir has so far rejected the request.

Baroness Lawrence and the Labor Party have been contacted for comment