Theresa May vowed to ‘hold up a mirror’ to British society today – as she published research showing huge racial divides.
The government ‘race audit’ shows that ethnic minorities are more likely to be low paid, on benefits and victims of crime.
But poor white children perform worse at school, while white adults are more likely to be overweight and to drink alcohol at harmful levels.
The grim picture emerged in a mass of information released by the Cabinet Office covering all aspects of modern life.
White children receiving free school meals have the lowest attainment levels at Key Stage 4, according to the details released by the government
The grim picture emerged in a mass of information released by the Cabinet Office covering all aspects of modern life (file picture)
Mrs May warned that Britain had a ‘way to go’ to create an equal society but she was making tackling ethnic injustice a ‘personal priority’.
The PM said much of the information ‘has existed for years’ but it had never been gathered together in such a comprehensive form. She admitted the ‘findings will be uncomfortable’.
She told a round table meeting in No10 today: ‘I think what this audit shows is there isn’t anywhere to hide. That’s not just for Government, it’s for society as a whole.’
White pupils start to fall behind at school from age of seven
White children start to fall behind other ethnicities from age seven.
Some 71 per cent met the expected standard for grammar and spelling at Key Stage 2, compared to 75 per cent of black pupils, 79 per cent of Asian, and 87 per cent of Chinese.
At GCSE, the average score for white children receiving free school meals was 37. For black children the equivalent figure was 44, and Asian 47.
White pupils from state schools had the lowest university entry rate of any ethnic group in 2016.
Chinese pupils had the highest attainment throughout school, made the most progress and were the most likely to stay in education and go to university.
The government ‘race audit’ shows that ethnic minorities are more likely to be low paid
Ethnic minorities more likely to live in deprived areas but Indian workers are the highest paid
Ethnic minorities are more likely to live in areas of deprivation, especially black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi people.
Asian, black and other ethnic groups are disproportionately likely to be on a low income, with almost half of households in bottom 40 per cent nationally before housing costs were taken into account.
Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers received the lowest average hourly pay of £11.42.
But Indian workers received the highest on £15.81.
White workers received an average of just below £14.
Households of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, black, mixed and other backgrounds were more likely to receive income-related benefits and tax credits than those in other ethnic groups.
Around two out of three white British householders owned their home compared with just two out five householders from all other ethnic groups combined.
Whites are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a late stage
White people are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a late stage, despite eating more fruit and vegetables and being at less risk of living in poverty.
The findings emerged in a ‘race audit’ unveiled by Theresa May today as she vowed to ‘hold up a mirror’ to British society.
According to a mass of information released by the Cabinet Office, some 52.5 per cent of new cancer diagnoses for whites came at stage 1 or 2, compared to 54 per cent for blacks and 55.6 per cent for Asians.
White people were less likely than ethnic minorities to be diagnosed with cancer at an early stage, according to the data
The disparity comes despite white British adults being the most likely to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and less likely to be on a low income.
However, they are also among the most likely to be overweight and to drink alcohol at harmful levels.
White Britons were also more likely to have experienced suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives.
Some 21.6 per cent said they had experience the urges.
The figure for black people was only slightly lower at 20.7 per cent.
The level reported by Asians was 13.1 per cent.
White British people reported the highest level when asked whether they had experiences suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives
Whites least likely to be victims of crime and black defendants are remanded more often
White people were among the least likely to become a victim of crime or to fear becoming a victim.
In 2015-16, some 18 per cent of Asians were victims of crime, 19 per cent of blacks, and 15 per cent white.
Black defendants in Crown Court cases were the most likely to be remanded in custody.
Black offenders also had the highest rate of reoffending compared with other ethnic groups from 2006 to 2014.
Stop and search rates have been falling across the board in recent years, but black people are still significantly more likely to be tackled by police.
The figure among blacks was more than 30 per 1,000 – compared to fewer than five per thousand for whites.
Stop and search rates have been falling in recent years, but black people are still significantly more likely to be tackled by police
Among other revelations in the data dump were:
- Police officers from non-white groups were more concentrated in lower ranks, with just 1 per cent in the most senior roles.
- Of all applicants shortlisted for NHS jobs in England, white candidates were more likely to be appointed – some 18 per cent of whites shortlisted got the job compared with 11 per cent of ethnic minorities.
- Around one in 10 Army personnel are from an ethnic minority background but the figure falls to just one in 50 for the RAF.
Blacks and white people were both more likely than the wider population to be overweight
The discussion in No10 was attended by a number of campaigners, including Jabeer Butt from the Race Equality Foundation, Omar Khan from the Runnymede Trust, Kunle Olulode from Voice4Change and Matilda MacAttram from Black Mental Health.
Mrs May told the group the findings will mean organisations will be challenged to ‘explain or change’.
In a phone-in on LBC radio this evening, Mrs May insisted she had not personally suffered discrimination. But she said ‘some of my colleagues experience is different’.
WHITE BRITONS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
White Britons are most likely to report having suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives.
Some 21.6 per cent said they had experience the urges.
The figure for black people was only slightly lower at 20.7 per cent.
The level reported by Asians was 13.1 per cent.
The PM also gave an overview of the audit at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said she told ministers how on a school visit yesterday in south London she had met a black student who had wanted to be a lawyer.
However, having seen the lack of diversity in the judiciary, the student told her he wondered if it was a profession in which he could progress.
‘She was clearly touched by the boy’s story,’ the spokesman said.
Making a statement to the Commons today, First Secretary of State Damian Green said the audit provided an unprecedented degree of transparency into the impact of ethnicity, and would ‘tell us how well we are doing as a society in ensuring that all can thrive and prosper’.
He said the findings showed there was ‘much more still to do if we are to end racial injustice’.
The Government would ‘take action with partners to address the ethnic disparities highlighted by the audit’.
He also announced that the Department for Work and Pensions would introduce measures in ’20 targeted hotspots’ including mentoring schemes to help ethnic minorities into work.
Whites were more likely than other ethnic groups to be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day
Mr Green said the Ministry of Justice would take forward a number of recommendations from the review, including developing performance indicators for prisons.
Meanwhile, the Department for Education would begin an external review to improve exclusion practice.
But shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler attacked the Government’s response, saying: ‘Talking shops just not going to cut it: mentoring schemes are good, but they are not nearly ambitious enough.’
INDIAN WORKERS TOP THE PAY TABLE
Indian workers emerged as the highest paid on average.
Asian, black and other ethnic groups are disproportionately likely to be on a low income, with almost half of households in bottom 40 per cent nationally before housing costs were taken into account.
Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers received the lowest average hourly pay of £11.42.
But Indian workers received the highest on £15.81.
White workers received an average of just below £14.
Households of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, black, mixed and other backgrounds were more likely to receive income-related benefits and tax credits than those in other ethnic groups.
She blamed the closure of SureStart centres and Connexions for affecting the life chances of young people.
And she urged Mr Green to ‘explain or change’ policies on Universal Credit, tuition fees, public sector workers’ pay cap, minimum wage and personal independence payments.
‘There are so many policies which this Government needs to explain or change.
‘You cannot ignore the fact that the actions of this Government have contributed to the burning injustices in our country.’
Several private sector organisations are ‘very anxious’ to address the ethnicity pay gap, Mr Green said.
Answering a question from Liberal Democrat former minister Jo Swinson about plans for firms to report their race pay gap, Mr Green said: ‘You will know from your time in government… that it would be unlikely at this stage to leap to long-term commitments like that on the basis of information we’ve only just gathered.
‘But you make a fair point. The underlying point is that this isn’t just an issue for central government to address, it is an issue for the private sector as well.
‘And I know that many private sector organisations – some of which were represented at the round table at Downing Street this morning – are very anxious to follow-up a lot of the work that’s come in trying to reduce the gender pay gap with addressing pay gaps between people from different ethnic backgrounds as well.’
Mrs May, pictured chairing a discussion on race inequality after Cabinet today, is treading a delicate path between Brexiteers and securing a deal with the EU
WHITES MORE LIKELY TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER LATE
White people are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a late stage, despite eating more fruit and vegetables and being at less risk of living in poverty.
The findings emerged in a ‘race audit’ unveiled by Theresa May today as she vowed to ‘hold up a mirror’ to British society.
According to a mass of information released by the Cabinet Office, some 52.5 per cent of new cancer diagnoses for whites came at stage 1 or 2, compared to 54 per cent for blacks and 55.6 per cent for Asians.
The disparity comes despite white British adults being the most likely to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and less likely to be on a low income.
However, they are also among the most likely to be overweight and to drink alcohol at harmful levels.
