George Floyd’s murder has led to huge progress on race, just not in the UK.
In America, US President Joe Biden has introduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing act, aiming to combat police misconduct, excessive force and racial bias in policing.
Biden has signed four executive actions: to address discriminatory housing policies, to end the use of private prisons, to protect Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from prejudice, and to give more ethnic minority people the chance to vote.
Boris Johnson’s response to the Black Lives Matter protests was to produce one paltry report on race which told Black Britons to see the positive side of slavery – as well as a new law that will stop disproportionate numbers of ethnic minorities from voting.
At the time Boris Johnson announced his report, I said it sounded like it would be written on the back of a fag packet. When it was finally published, I realised I had been too generous.
Boris Johnson could have used the righteous anger of the Black Lives Matter protests as a turning point to bring together White, Black, Asian and other minority ethnic people together to fight for a more equal society.
Instead, he used it as a chance to attack young people simply for fighting for a fairer society.
I love my country. I am proud of being English, just as I am proud of being British.
It is because of my patriotism that I have spent my career trying to make the UK the best place it can be.
As a politician, I get the chance to meet British citizens on doorsteps right across the country.
While there are some political differences between us, the vast majority of Brits passionately believe in fairness, equality and tolerance.
It goes against British values that Black women are four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.
It goes against British values that Black people are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.
It goes against British values that Black people are more than three times more likely than all other ethnic groups to experience homelessness.
The importance of making society fair for people of all skin colours, all religions and all backgrounds goes beyond party politics.
This is why I gladly accepted when one of Boris Johnson’s predecessors, David Cameron, asked me to write a cross-party report on tackling bias in the justice system.
Theresa May continued this spirit of cooperation with her Race Disparity Audit.
It is a great shame that Boris Johnson has decided to abandon the consensus both parties had reached on race.
If George Floyd’s murder can teach us anything, it is that we gain nothing by being divided.
Now is the time for Britons to come together to beat racism. As a nation, we should be moving forwards, not back.
