Ex-minister decries training video about ‘racist Britain’

A FORMER minister in the Levelling Up department has demanded the deletion of a “woke” training video which tells civil servants that Britain is a “racist” country.

Neil O’brien said the video, which suggests white officials should never contradict people from ethnic minorities, was “divisive and wrong”.

The training material is on the website of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), which is in charge of race relations.

It says white civil servants should be aware of their “privilege”, adding: “When we become an ally, this primarily means acknowledging that we, ourselves, are part of a society, norm, culture or a system that is racist.”

Mr O’brien, who was a minister in the department until earlier this month, tweeted: “My former civil servant colleagues at DLUHC should not have their time wasted with this, which is divisive and wrong.

“The department should be deleting the video, not defending it.”

The “allyship” video, whose existence was disclosed by the Treasury yesterday, aims to teach civil servants about “what it means to be a race ally”.

It urges white civil servants to be a “supporter”, meaning they “listen and do not contradict” ethnic minorities.

The video said: “For many of us who are white or white passing, meaning that we are often identified as white in public spaces), the colour of our skin, our race or ethnicity, has not had a negative

‘It is divisive and wrong. The department should be deleting the video, not defending it’

impact on our lives. We call this ‘white privilege’.

“You may experience many other struggles and challenges through life, but they are very unlikely to be related to your race. Because of this, adding your voice to anti-racism can help to amplify your message, support your colleagues, and give them time to heal and recover from a fight they’ve been having for their entire lives, often for generations.”