The Conservative Party Manifesto promises ‘Clear plan, bold action, secure future’, highlighting traditional conservative issues. The strapline expands on this saying, “On 4 July, choose lower immigration, lower taxes and protected pensions. Choose a secure future with the Conservatives.”
The Manifesto overall has some measures that could broadly benefit Black, Asian and minoritsed ethnic Britons, such as reducing tax and creating apprenticeships, but these benefits could be poorly targeted or easily eclipsed by eroding public services and the impact of other policies that would have a disproportionate impact.
Jabeer Butt OBE, CEO of the Race Equality Foundations says:
Of the 720,000 18-year-olds in England and Wales, a growing proportion are from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds. This contributes to their increased presence in the workforce. However, these 18-year-olds have faced two years of schooling disruption due to COVID-19, with those from ethnic minority backgrounds particularly affected by inadequate home study tools and lower exam grades due to teacher assessments.
Despite this, the Conservative Manifesto provides little support for these 18-year-olds beyond mandating ‘national service.’ While the commitment to address ethnic inequalities in the criminal justice system is welcome, there is no detail on how this will be achieved, leaving us uncertain about the outcomes.
The pledge to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan is also welcome. However, the earlier commitment to ensure continuity of care for 75% of women from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds using maternity services has been abandoned, with no alternative solution provided in the manifesto.
We have long advocated for a cross-government race equality strategy to improve the experiences of these communities, who are an increasingly vital part of Britain’s future.
Read our full summary on how the Conservative party Manifesto impacts Black, Asian and minoritsed ethnic communities.
