WE’VE LONG known that there’s no real plan from Labour to address the deep wounds in our communities.  And we were right.

The exclusion of Black voices from Labour’s recent fiasco of a launch of the so-called Race Equality Act proved it.

Right now, at best – and I mean at best – one or two Labour figures are pushing for the party to include proposals for the act in its election manifesto.  But they are ill-advised and tone-deaf. At worst, the Act is bland political window dressing lacking any real flavour.

Change

Some have added nuance to the conversation, reminding us that there are good people in Labour who want real change. This is true.

It’s also true that the Race Equality Act deserves our attention. Any plans however, will only be firmed up if Labour takes office.  For many, that’s not good enough. They want a radical plan and a solid commitment now. And God knows, they deserve one.

I’ve good reason to believe that Anneliese Dodds leading the race taskforce does actually want something meaningful from this process. Some might disagree but I have to be honest about that. 

But, even with a true understanding of what we want, and a desire to make it happen, Dodds has a tough fight on her hands.

Why? Because the problem isn’t her – it’s with Sir Keir Starmer.

In his desperation for power he’s forgotten something he needs reminding of.  He needs Black voters – and not the other way around.  His blatant playing up to culture wars and his incorrect view Red Wall voters are all racist and will backfire.

He’s so far off the mark, that even with a large lead, he could still yet snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. You don’t need an Oxbridge PHD in political science to get this.  You simply need to live in the real world.

Currently, Black voters won’t switch to the Conservatives in large numbers.  But many are disillusioned and are not going to vote at all.

If Starmer is worried about The Voice and what Black media will write, he needs to focus less on that, and more on the constituency we come from.

I can’t claim to speak for the community.  But I do have an idea of how people are feeling.

Two things are vital for him to understand at this point.

First, Black people have always been loyal Labour voters.

Second, those days are done, unless we see something meaningful.

In the coming days, The Voice will further unpack Labour’s plan on race equality so far, and compare it to the findings of the Black British Voices survey we conducted last year with Cambridge University.

It was the largest survey ever of Black Britain with around 11,000 participants and looked at many areas of life and concern for Black people. 

Themes included politics, culture, identity, and views on criminal justice.  The findings were both unsurprising and shocking.

They revealed a deep cynicism and distrust of policing and the criminal justice system.  They showed that Black people, so vital to building Britain, still feel excluded and marginalized within it.

If Labour was smart, it would compare its own plan, with these findings.  It shouldn’t be the job of The Voice to do this.

The good thing from Labour’s perspective is they still have some time, and these findings have handed them much of the analysis they need, to produce a real plan for Black communities.

A savvy potential Equalities Secretary would have already figured this out.

For now, here are 3 initial points, in no special order, with more to follow, that Starmer and Labour must consider if they want Black people to listen again. 

This isn’t to regain lost votes at this stage – but just to be taken seriously – and to regain the attention they have squandered.

1.We want Diane Abbott back, the whip restored, and for all of our Black MPs to be treated with dignity and respect.  This goes for Kate Osamor too.

Black people have always been loyal Labour voters. But those days are done, unless we see something meaningful.

Richard Sudan

Labour won’t be viewed as a serious political party Black people, ever again unless it treats its own Black politicians fairly. They may or may not feel it in this coming election.  But they will feel it soon.

We see the double standard at play when it comes to how white MPs loyal to Starmer are handled compared to Black MPs, and we are watching closely.

2.We want a serious plan to tackle stop and search and ongoing police brutality. The disparities are clear. 

An unnamed officer has been charged with the murder of Chris Kaba.

We demand a radical plan beyond tokenistic gestures.  Forget about anti-racism training and diversity crash courses for racist officers. This is an insult.  Even the BPA is telling black people not to join the force.  Policing is in crisis and black people are paying the price. We’ve had enough

3.We want police removed from schools, and an end to the violent criminalization of our young people.

The police are traumatizing an entire generation of young people within school walls – the one place which should be safe.  Get police out of schools.  If they are ever required, it’s for experts to make the call with community safeguards and firm consultation in place.  The Child Q incident must never happen again.

Police are failing in the streets and must not bring that culture into schools.

There’s more, a lot more. But these are just some of the things Labour need to take action on. Many however, won’t be holding their breath.

There’s nothing stopping Labour from having a real meaningful consultation with the community. What isn’t going to work, is elevating individuals with name recognition, or creating meaningless roles around race as a substitute for a real plan and a real dialogue with Black Britain. 

The old model of 20^th Century politics won’t work anymore. Put simply,  Black people won’t fall for it. If Starmer wants power, and to keep power, he needs us. But black people won’t just vote for anything.