Five years since George Floyd – we are going backwards on race
PLUS: Our view on the Brexit reset deal, latest ReformWatch, new from The Lead North and the launch of The Lead Digest.
It is half a decade since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for nine minutes. Floyd was far from the first unarmed Black man to be openly killed by a police officer, nor was his the first murder to be caught on camera, or shared widely across the internet. But this particular set of unique circumstances – the abrupt pause in the normal pace of life, the forced connectivity of the shared experience of living through a pandemic – galvanised a response as unprecedented as the times we were living through.
We remember the scenes. The global, lockdown-defying protests. The celebrities giving speeches, donating money, making grand gestures. The energy took on a life of its own and trickled down into our living rooms, our WhatsApp groups. Colleagues, former classmates, periphery acquaintances reached out to their Black friends to ask them what they could do. We told them Google exists. We told them to do the work. They promised to do so, and posted reading lists (bell hooks, Reni Eddo-Lodge, James Baldwin) on their Instagram stories. Everyone shared a black square to show just how much they cared.
Then the corporates got involved. There was no sector untouched by the pressure to say something, to apologise, to be seen to be doing the right thing. Five years on, after all of the pledges and promises, where are we now?
Despite nearly 70% of British companies embarking on some form of initiative to tackle workplace racism since 2020, two-thirds of office workers say their firms have not increased the number of Black, Asian, or ethnic minority leaders.
The financial sector has proved to be one of the biggest letdowns. Goldman Sachs has this year scrapped a 2020 policy meant to encourage diversity on its boards, saying the initiative had “served its purpose”. While Deloitte is planning to “sunset” its annual diversity report and wider diversity, equality and inclusion [DEI] programming. In March, The Bank of England’s regulatory arm, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority, dropped new diversity and inclusion rules for financial firms citing “regulatory burdens”. The City’s two top regulators also scrapped a plan to “name and shame” UK firms under investigation.
“If the energy of five years ago is to be restarted, and this time done better, we need social conditions that encourage compassionate ideologies and reward generosity and selflessness.”
These rollbacks are everywhere. British pharmaceutical company GSK announced in February that it will no longer set diversity targets. In the US, Accenture, Meta and Amazon are just a handful of the major corporations that have revealed plans to scrap or scale-back diversity initiatives in response to Trump’s war on DEI, but the man in the White House can’t be blamed for the swift and silent sweeping under the rug of cancelled diversity awards, funding cuts for Black initiatives, and the litany of broken promises on this side of the pond.
But corporate posturing was never going to save us. It would be naive to think that under capitalism these gestures from business leaders were ever about anything more profound than optics.
What is more concerning is the vibe shift among the general public.
Gone are the days when an all-white film cast, panel event, or major awards shortlist, would trigger an angry hashtag, or vocal backlash. I can’t remember the last time I heard a white person use the word “ally”. While it is unsurprising that the famously ethically murky world of financial services never really cared about anti-racism, it is acutely demoralising to see such a rapid unravelling into apathy from our neighbours, colleagues, and friends.
Part of the problem is the way it all played-out – so much of 2020’s anti-racism was online, built on the currency of identity and clout that fuels social media platforms. The black squares were the biggest red flag. Many of us saw it for what it was at the time – useless and grotesquely performative – and called it out. Then the ‘allyship fatigue’, as this phenomenon was perversely labelled, set in real quick.
But what we are seeing now isn’t exhaustion, it’s not even an overt backlash, these reactions would, at least, require a level of effort or engagement. Instead, it feels like the 2020 protests never happened. The energy of five years ago appears to have been collectively forgotten, and if it is to be restarted – and this time done better – we need social conditions that encourage compassionate ideologies and reward generosity and selflessness.
While we wouldn’t expect faceless corporations to deliver on positive social change, it shouldn’t be too much to ask of our politicians, particularly of a government elected with a manifesto commitment to introduce a landmark Race Equality Act. But Starmer has gone from taking the knee in 2020 to echoing Enoch Powell’s racist rhetoric earlier this month. And with Reform threatening to kick in the door, the Prime Minister has fallen into the trap of drifting to the right on immigration and identity, playing directly into Farage’s hands.
There is hope. Last summer, thousands of protestors took to the streets to rally against anti-immigration demonstrations all over the country. That energy may have been diluted over the last few years, but it has not dissipated entirely. While politicians might continue to create and recreate ideologies based on whatever is politically expedient in the moment, for the rest of us, consistency is key. Diversity and inclusion are not simply corporate buzzwords, they are two cornerstones of a vibrant, generative and fundamentally caring society. ■
About the author: Natalie Morris is our Senior Editor here at The Lead. Elsewhere, she is a freelance writer covering social justice, inequality, health and community, published in The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, Grazia, Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and more. She is the author of Mixed/Other and co-author of Leigh-Anne Pinnock’s memoir Believe.
Slowly, quietly, reluctantly, this Labour government is ready to confront the reality staring us in the face – our Westminster Editor Zoë Grünewald with her view on the Brexit reset deal, and what it really means.
The centre isn’t holding. As parties and policies drift further to the right, and radical talking points become manifesto pledges, The Lead is committed to keeping making sure the far right doesn’t go ignored. We plan to keep an eye on the movements of Reform UK – and we’ll be reporting back to you here, with our new ReformWatch section – appearing each week in our weekend edition.
First off, The Blackpool Lead has revealed that the first ever Reform Pub, The Talbot in Blackpool, has been hosting neo-Nazi events for at least a decade. Last year, we reported that ‘The Real Rebellion festival’ (a far right alternative to the local, family-friendly punk festival Rebellion) was cancelled after Hope Not Hate revealed its neo-Nazi pull. At the time, co-owner Nick Lowe, who promises he isn’t racist, justified the decision because he “needed to make money somehow”. We guess they’re taking their “everybody and anyone is welcome” policy very seriously. (Our sister title The Blackpool Lead, were first to report this story, and is committed to impactful and original local journalism. Stay ahead – subscribe now.)
Reform has formed its first Lancashire County Council [LCC] cabinet — comprised entirely of men. When asked about the lack of female representation, new leader Councillor Stephen Atkinson said that members had been chosen on the basis of their CVs alone before moving on to discuss white, working class men being underrepresented. We don't just watch Reform online, this update is from Jamie Lopez for The Lancashire Lead in the council chamber at County Hall in Preston and you can read his full report from the first full LCC council meeting where Reform now hold majority rule in the Red Rose county. (Reminder: We’ll be closely following the new Reform administration in Lancashire with our dedicated title The Lancashire Lead. Make sure you subscribe to stay in the loop.)
Over in Northampton, the new Reform UK leader of West Northamptonshire Council, Mark Arnull, has confirmed that his group will not take part in diversity or climate training for their new roles as elected officials. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The councillors in West Northamptonshire Council are waiting for their briefs from the democratic services team, but as it stands, I will stand with the policy and the councillors on the Reform group will not be attending the training.”
Further up the ladder, party leader Nigel Farage – who once upon a time led the Brexit Party – skipped the parliamentary UK-EU Brexit reset deal for a holiday in France. Good thing he’s no skin the game, eh?
Finally, it appears Reform UK’s stance on the Winter Fuel Allowance is a little confused. Farage has consistently criticized the government’s now U-turned decision to means test the Winter Fuel Payment, calling it “vindictive” and “cruel”, and Reform UK has promised to reverse the Government’s unpopular cuts. However, a couple of councillors have run amok. In April – and in a now-deleted video – the new MP for Runcorn and Helsby, Sarah Pochin, backed the principle of “making sure those that are in need get that payment… but that those that don’t need it don’t get it”. And, speaking on GB News on Wednesday evening, Durham County councillor Joe Quinn did the same. He said “Winter fuel allowance was a lifeline – not everybody should have got the winter fuel allowance, I don’t think anybody’s denying that...". The Lead has asked Reform UK for their official policy for Winter Fuel Payments, and how they plan to fund it. We’re waiting for their response.
Get in touch on X, Bluesky and Instagram if you spot anything worth reporting.
The Lead Digest
The first edition of our new feature where we bring you a selection of reads, listens, watches and takes we think are worth your time (and are great to work through of a weekend when you hopefully have some time and brain space to enjoy).
In the June Issue of Prospect Magazine, Alan Rusbridger and Philip Collins published a long-read that grappled with the potential reality of a far right populist government in the UK – and exactly how it could happen. This one is best enjoyed in print with a cup of tea. You’ll need it. Here’s the online version.
Meanwhile, The Observer’s daily newsletter, Sensemaker, brought us back down to Earth with a reminder that, in some parts of the world, the centre is still holding, with success for centrist governments in Poland, Portugal, Australia, Canada, Germany and, most recently, Romania. That said, their optimism should be taken with a heap of salt, as the far right gained good ground in each of the aforementioned counties. Read more.
In an interview with LabourList, retail and service industry union USDAW’s general secretary-elect Joanne Thomas called on the government to back a wealth tax. She joined the long line of people advocating for what used to be seen as a radical policy. Read the full interview here.
Finally, racial justice campaign group Enact Equality this week sent an open letter to the Prime Minister urging the Government to take immediate action to address the disproportionate impact of air pollution on people of colour – an issue our senior editor Natalie Morris has previously reported on. Read more about the campaign.
If you have something for inclusion then drop ella@thelead.uk a note or drop us a line on X, Bluesky and Instagram.
At The Lead we’re dedicated to telling stories beyond the bright lights of London and Manchester (although sometimes we still will). We have dedicated journalists and titles in Blackpool, Lancashire, Calderdale, Teesside and Southport bringing in-depth news and features twice-a-week to those communities. Each weekend we’ll give you a snapshot of what’s making the headlines beyond the urbane comfort of North London types…
In The Southport Lead we dug into how even nearly a decade on, the very hyperlocal consequences of Brexit are being felt in the town, and Southport’s Labour MP Patrick Hurley wrote exclusively for us on why he would not be supporting assisted dying.
Staying with MPs in our patches, Chris Webb has been reflecting on a year since his by-election victory and being Blackpool South MP. He has given a candid interview with Michael Holmes.
And Leigh Jones in The Teesside Lead has the fascinating story of how Russian hackers brought Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to its knees with a ransomware attack.
Thank you for reading this Saturday’s edition, it’s great to have you with us. Have a great rest of your Bank Holiday weekend (yes, another one).
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Natalie, Zoe, Ed, Ella, Luke, and The Lead team