White working class at heart of May’s mission to shine a light on inequality
THE plight of the white working class in modern Britain is a “difficult truth” and is as much of an injustice as discrimination against ethnic minorities, Theresa May has suggested.
The Prime Minister has ordered a cross-government review to reveal for the first time the scale of inequalities in Britain’s schools, universities, hospitals and the criminal justice system.
The Government will next year publish the information with regional breakdowns by people’s race, gender and incomes in an attempt to “shine a light on injustices as never before”.
The audit will be central to Mrs May’s “social justice” agenda, which she announced shortly after she became Prime Minister. It will be used to hold public services to account and provide the basis for a series of new policies aimed at reducing levels of inequality.
Mrs May said: “When I stood on the steps of Downing Street on my first day, I made clear that I believe in a United Kingdom by every definition – and that means the Government I lead will stand up for you and your family against injustice and inequality.
“Today, I am launching an audit to look into racial disparities in our public services that stretches right across government. It will highlight the differences in outcomes for people of different backgrounds, in every area from health to education, childcare to welfare, employment, skills and criminal justice.
“This audit will reveal difficult truths, but we should not be apologetic about shining a light on injustices as never before. It is only by doing so we can make this country work for everyone, not just a privileged few.”
Downing Street highlighted research showing that just one in three white working-class boys continues academic study after taking their GCSEs and that they are less likely to go to university than any other group.
A spokesman said: “This audit will also help understand where there are geographical inequalities in services that affect people of some races more than others, such as the white working class who tend to live in coastal towns or black, minority ethnic communities who tend to live in inner cities.”
The Centre for Social Justice, a think tank, has previously described seaside areas as “dumping grounds” for social problems with five towns – Rhyl, Margate, Clacton-on-Sea, Blackpool and Great Yarmouth – costing £365 million a year in benefits and housing support.
The report will also address inequalities facing ethnic minorities such as the fact that their employment rate is 10 per cent lower than the national average and that children from black Caribbean backgrounds are three times more likely to be permanently excluded from school than their peers.
The audit will be led by a Cabinet Office unit which will report to Sajid Javid, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, and Ben Gummer, the minister for the Cabinet Office.