Last friday, Dawn Butler MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities set out the impact of Budget measures on women and BAME communities, and called for a comprehensive equality impact assessment of the Budget.
By April 2021, 5.9 million women living in households eligible for Universal Credit under 2013 rules will lose £4406 as a result of the combined impact of all changes to benefits, tax credits, Universal Credit, income tax, NICs and the National Living Wage introduced since June 2010. Black women, whether employed or not, stand to lose £5030 a year.
Further, as a result of tax and benefit changes and lost services since 2010, by 2020, Black and Asian households with the lowest fifth of incomes will experience the biggest average drop in living standards of 19.2% and 20.1%, respectively. This equates to a real-terms average annual loss in living standards of £8,407 and £11,678.
On discrimination, people from a black and minority ethnic background are progressing at a slower rate in the workplace.
To help build an economy for the many, not the few, a Labour government would deal head on with race discrimination and economic inequality.
- Within the first 100 days of government we will launch an inquiry into name based employment discrimination and roll out name-blind skills based recruitment practices, if necessary.
- Labour will introduce equal pay audit requirements for large companies and implement the Parker review recommendations to increase ethnic diversity on the boards of Britain’s biggest companies.
- We will boost the income of African Caribbean and Asian communities by raising the statutory minimum wage to a Real Living Wage of £10 per hour by 2020.
- The next Labour government will assess all policy and legislation for its impact on women and BAME communities before implementation.
- To ensure our government and employers are held to account; we will enhance the powers and functions of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Labour is the party of equality and economic justice with a vision to build an economy that works for the many not the few.
What do you think?
We want you to get involved and help build on our manifesto pledges. By posting on our website you can give your ideas around the gender pay gap, race discrimination and economic inequality; share your experiences; or submit a new policy idea that you think should be addressed.
Join the discussion on Labour’s work, pensions & equalities policies here: https://www.policyforum.labour.org.uk/commissions/work
Find out how to make a submission here: https://www.policyforum.labour.org.uk/about/get-involved
Find out more on Labour’s policy here: http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php/manifesto2017
