On 17 March 2022, the Government published its Inclusive Britain policy paper to address racial and ethnic disparities and ensure fairness in the UK. Inclusive Britain is meant to set the standard for the public sector—as well as businesses, charities, or individuals—to work towards achieving a society that is truly equal.
Summary
Inclusive Britain was developed in response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’ independent report published in March 2021. Also referred to as the Sewell report, this document made 24 recommendations to tackle ethnic disparities. Inclusive Britain addressed these recommendations and set out a detailed action plan to build a fairer and more inclusive society in the long term.
Impact on the workplace
Inclusive Britain presented 70 practical actions to tackle negative disparities under three themes—building trust, promoting fairness, and creating agency—identified by the Commission in 2021. It also proposed other measures, including:
- Working with a panel of academics and businesspeople to promote fairness in the workplace.
- Issuing guidance to employers on how to measure and report on differences in ethnicity pay so businesses can identify and address disparities.
- Deploying an in-work offer to Jobcentres with specialist progression champions to support working claimants to climb the career ladder and address ethnic pay disparities.
- Working with industry to collect data on ethnicity of business owners applying for finance.
- Offering a scheme to support an increased number of ethnic minorities in their efforts to become entrepreneurs; and
- Reforming public sector training on diversity and inclusion to ensure it is more evidence based, impartial, and inclusive.
Inclusive Britain: the Government’s Response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was presented to Parliament by the Minister of State for Equalities by Command of Her Majesty.
The Inclusive Britain Report was published on 17 March 2022, and this article was created on 23 March 2022.
Additional enei resources
External resources
- Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities: The Report, March 2021
- Inclusive Britain, March 2022