Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party launched its Race and Faith manifesto on Tuesday at an event in Watford, outlining its commitment to racial equality and detailing how the Party’s manifesto benefits BAME communities. The 17 pages manifesto is divided into several sections and sub sections- such as employment, eqaulity in work places, new deal for businesses, young people, brexit and human rights, cohesive communities, better representation in public life, health, education and criminal justice system.
Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, told Asian Voice, “Labour is the Party of equality. We were built on the values of social justice, internationalism and human rights. Our values are rooted in the fundamental truth that whatever your background, wherever you are from, you should have the means and opportunity to fulfil your potential.
“People continue to be treated unfairly due to their ethnicity or faith. The recent rise in hate crimes, including Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attacks, underscores how far we still have to go. Labour will repair the damage done by the Conservative Government, which has sown the seeds of division in our communities.
“Only Labour can be trusted to unlock the talent of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, who have been held back by the Conservatives. We will guarantee equality is at the heart of our programme for government.
“Labour will implement a comprehensive strategy for racial equality, one that effectively challenges the disadvantage many Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities suffer. We will work every day for a fairer society, where every person is enabled to get on in life, regardless of race, faith or ethnicity, to build a Britain that works for the many, not the few.”
The party believes it is based on equality. Though it has lost the British Hindu votes to the Conservative party since 2015, the party is trying it's level best to woo back those lost voters.
In the manifesto, the party has promised to:
- Introduce equal pay audit requirements on large employers.
- Launch an inquiry into names-based discrimination and consider rolling out name-blind recruitment practices if necessary.
- Boost the income of Black, Asian and minority communities by introducing a Real Living Wage of £10 an hour by 2020.
- Support small business and ensure anyone bidding for a government contract pays its suppliers within 30 days and reinstate the lower small- business corporation tax rate.
- Abolish unfair unemployment tribunal fees and create statutory time-off for Equality Representatives in the workplace.
- Implement the Parker Review recommendations to increase ethnic diversity on the boards of Britain’s largest companies.
- Enhance the powers and functions of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
- Take robust action against violence and hate crime, developing a cross- department strategy to deliver strong and cohesive communities, and recruit 10,000 more police o cers to work on community beats.
- Review the Prevent programme with a view of assessing its effectiveness and potential to alienate minority communities.
- Develop new effective measures, which are community-based and intelligence-led to reverse the dangerous growing problem of extreme or violent radicalisation
- Launch a consultation into racial diversity of representation across the party and develop a new leadership and training programme for future Black and Asian local government and parliamentary candidates.
- Continue to work with the media to encourage and support further inclusion and opportunities celebrating Britain’s diverse communities.
- Reverse the damage done to mental health services and develop a strategy to address race inequalities in mental health services.
- Work with NHS providers to develop guidance on food labelling to have due regard to faith and cultural requirements of patients.
- Raise Carer’s Allowance to recognise the contribution of unpaid carers many of whom are from Black and Asian communities.
- Reintroduce Education Maintenance Allowance and student maintenance grants, and abolish university tuition fees and college fees for adult learners.
- Work to eliminate institutional biases in the use of stop and search powers and deliver policing by consent.
