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The new politics of race in the UK

The new politics of race in the UK

As race relations in the UK change and shift are the UK left in danger of being left behind? Are they getting it right or wrong?

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Emma Burnell
Apr 22, 2023
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The new politics of race in the UK
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This is the fortnightly paid edition of my newsletter. For those of you who are free subscribers, it will mysteriously and tantalisingly trail off just as we get to the juicy bits.

For only one more week there is a special offer on a paid subscription so you too can see the whole content.

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For new free subscribers, don’t panic. The will also be fortnightly free content for the foreseeable future.


A couple of weeks ago, when discussing *that* Labour Twitter ad, I said the following:

There is a longer conversation to be had about how we deal with very real public policy issues that have also long been connected with racist tropes in a country where those with responsibility for those issues are increasingly going to be from ethnic minority backgrounds. I don’t know if I am the right person to front such a conversation though.

I am very blessed in my career to have worked with a really variety of people who have worked in so many different areas. As such, after pressing send on that post, I realised that I do know someone who had thought deeply, interestingly and positively on exactly these issues. So below the line you will find a video of a conversation I had with Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future.

Sunder (who I worked for at the Fabian Society many years ago) and I started off talking about the ads themselves but had a broader conversation about the left’s proud history on race relations, but also where they might be getting it wrong in the present moment.

As today marks 30 years since the brutal killing of Stephen Lawrence, I am releasing this post a day early as it feels timely and relevant.

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