THE LABOUR party’s secretive unveiling of its Race Equality Act proposals has fueled frustration and anger amongst Black party activists and equality campaigners.

The party had originally planned to release its plans yesterday afternoon in north London, but cancelled the event at short notice citing undisclosed security concerns. A hastily organised evening launch did eventually place in south London.

However, Black MPs, community media and leading campaign groups were not invited, leading to accusations from party members we spoke to that the Labour party intentionally excluded them in a bid to censor opportunities to grill party leader Keir Starmer and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds preventing any real scrutiny of the Race Equality Act plans which were launched back in 2020.

When The Voice asked the party’s media team about the location and time of the launch event it was told that “the nature of today’s event has now changed and we won’t be able to have journalists in attendance”. 

Sources within the party also told The Voice that a number of Black MPs had been blindsided about the launch day, while others apparently sought to distance themselves from an event they believed was lacking credibility.

Some who spoke to The Voice say they doubt whether plans for a fully-fledged Race Equality Act exist beyond bullet points in a circulated in a press release.

Other party sources The Voice spoke to claim that Labour intends to introduce the act once it enters office.  However, after almost four years since plans for a new Race Equality Act were first announced the lack of detail and dialogue around the proposals are increasingly being viewed with scepticism.

Speaking to The Voice veteran MP and campaigner Diane Abbott slammed Labour’s lacklustre plan and its launch.

“The proposed Race Equality Act is just window dressing” she said. “The foremost Black media organisation, The Voice, was not invited to the launch and most Black MPs were excluded. This reveals the reality of where Keir Starmer’s Labour party really stands on fighting anti-Black racism.”

Polls suggest that growing numbers of  Black and Muslim voters are questioning their long-held loyalty to Labour since Starmer took over as leader.

However despite these issues Dodds, part of the taskforce working on it, took to social media to celebrate the launch, as did Sir Keir Starmer.

Although some observers have welcomed the party’s proposals on what the act should include such as a focus on closing the ethnicity pay gap, tackling health inequalities, shoring up protections against discrimination and providing opportunities for young people, critics argue it simply doesn’t go far enough.

They also say it places too much emphasis on data gathering while leaving a big question mark over how the aims would be enforced.

There is no mention of immigration in the proposals, strengthening the Human Rights Commission, or measures to tackle discrimination in the private sector.

What it says about policing has been strongly criticised, with no mention of reforming the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which almost 80% of respondents to a recent large survey of Black Britons said they do not trust.

The plans have been criticised as  ‘low hanging fruit’ that are already enforceable under existing legislation.

Black Equity Organisation CEO Timi Okuwa highlighted the proposed Act’s significant shortcomings in addressing the issues that affect Black Britons. 

“Labour’s attempt to address the inequalities that Black people face daily will deliver limited impact” he said.

“Although proposals like the Windrush commissioner, equal ethnicity pay protections and pay gap reporting are welcome – we need a more fundamental approach to dismantle the systemic nature of racism that continues to hold Black people back.

“We believe this needs a cross-departmental government approach, with a strong commitment from any future government to drive the change that will finally address the increasing inequalities that Black people face every single day.”

The proposed Race Equality Act is just window dressing. Most Black MPs were excluded. This reveals the reality of where Keir Starmer’s Labour party really stands on fighting anti-Black racism.

Diane Abbott MP

Lee Jasper, veteran race equality campaigner, cast doubt on whether the party still cared about the large Black voter base it had always relied upon in previous General Elections.

“The Labour Party’s hesitance and underlying anti-Black hostility and resistance to addressing racial justice, underscored by the Forde Report fiasco and the targeting of Black and Asian MPs and councillors demonstrates that the Labour Party is an institutionally racist organisation.

“Refusing to outright condemn racial atrocities in Gaza exposes Labour’s lack of moral clarity so they have zero credibility in advocating Black people’s rights in the UK.”

Jasper added: “Without a firm stance on such a critical human rights issue, Labour’s promises to Black Britons are not worth the paper they’re written on. These so-called race equality proposals are purely cosmetic, performative fluff – exactly what we’ve come to expect from a Labour leadership that takes Black votes for granted.”

Many in the community are growing increasingly weary of Labour’s stance on race, the delay in producing a substantive plan on race, and also its treatment of Black MPs. Abbott remains ousted from the party alongside serious concerns about the treatment of Kate Osamor MP who also was recently suspended with many calling the move deeply unfair and indicative of a purge of progressive voices on the left of the party.

With the general election on the horizon, these issues could prove key when voters go to the polls.