Labour to focus on "greater equality for all"
John Denham will claim in a speech today that those from ethnic minority backgrounds are no longer automatically disadvantaged.
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The communities minister will claim in a speech today that those from ethnic minority backgrounds are no longer automatically disadvantaged.
John Denham will launch a review of Labour policies, which will place heavy emphasis on tackling inequality in white working-class areas. Mr Denham will say that because of changes over the past decade the government needs to focus on "tackling problems of today, and not those of the past".
Racism still exists, he will acknowledge, but policymakers must avoid treating disadvantage with a "one-dimensional" approach. It is no longer appropriate to assume that being from an ethnic minority group will automatically hold someone back in society.
Mr Denham will focus on promoting opportunity and widening inequality in a wider sense, arguing that the government's efforts "will not stop until every single person in this country has the same opportunities and an equal chance of success".
Speaking on the Today programme this morning, Mr Denham attributed much of this success to Labour's tenure in power. However, he also observed that "it takes people to change, not governments to change people". Lord Ouseley, a black peer and former chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, agreed with him, and said the government's achievements "should be applauded".
However, Lord Ouseley also told Today that inequality in the UK was wider now than a decade ago. This more general inequality will be the focus of Labour's policy review, with Mr Denham declaring: "We are committed to tackling poverty and disadvantage whoever you are, wherever you are." His Department for Communities has already allocated £12 million for a study of deep-seated social problems in over one hundred largely white working-class areas.
The government's equality bill is expected to receive Royal Assent this spring, and will aim to streamline legislation on discrimination. Under the new law, public bodies will be required to consider issues of socio-economic inequality and how they can be tackled through spending and provision of services.
Labour's new focus on predominantly white disadvantaged areas will be seen by many as an election strategy to combat the rise of the British National Party. The far-right party has gained ground in such constituencies in recent elections, and won two seats to the European Parliament in June 2009.