Rishi Sunak has denounced a government document on benefit assessments that had to be withdrawn after The Independent revealed that it included a racist slur. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guidance, which was first issued in 2010 to help doctors assess disability benefit claims but was still in use last month, referred to Black people as being of the “N*****d race”.
Asked about the document, which has now been scrapped after the issue was raised by this publication, the PM’s official spokesperson said: “It is clearly offensive and unacceptable. We do not condone the language in this 13-year-old document.”
Mr Sunak’s criticism came as a chorus of politicians and campaigners hit out at the document, which refers specifically to assessments for osteoporosis and was issued as a guide to doctors in Northern Ireland. Simon Woolley praised The Independent for “highlighting this awful discriminatory labelling by government officials”. “It is not just that it was a racial slur,” Lord Woolley added. “It is also indicative of how demeaning[ly] Black people in this country are seen.”
Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley, a member of the all-party parliamentary group on race and community, said officials responsible for the advice “ought to hang their heads in shame”. He called on the DWP to search through the rest of its guidance to ensure there are no other terms “which should not have been in current guidance, and should not have been in current guidance for 100 years”.
この記事は The Independent の July 05, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Independent の July 05, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
No title until Reds become road warriors, warns Slot
Liverpool boss says team must match away form of rivals
United stuck in 'purgatory' and facing only one way out
When one prominent football figure caught a glimpse of the Manchester United dressing room recently, they immediately recognised a scene they had seen from rival clubs. That was a squad that \"doesn't know what next\" and feels like it's \"going nowhere\". It isn't intentional, of course, but is a feeling that starts to grip a group when there's no sense of clarity.
Fifa transfer rules 'contrary to EU law', Diarra case finds
Fifa will have to update key paragraphs of its transfer rules to ensure punishment of players for breaking contracts is less draconian, after a European Court of Justice ruling on the Lassana Diarra case.
Marital rape is not rape, argues Indian government
The Indian government has opposed calls to classify consensual sexual acts committed by a husband against his wife as \"rape\", saying that to do so could have an impact on conjugal relationships and disturb the institution of marriage.
Screaming statue tribute to doctor raped and killed in India causes controversy
A bust installed outside a state-run hospital in India where a resident doctor was raped and killed has sparked anger and shock as it depicts a woman screaming in agony, her head thrown back and eyes wide open.
Haitian gang shoots at least 70 people in town rampage
Gang members brandishing automatic rifles have stormed through a town in Haiti's main breadbasket region, killing at least 70 people and forcing another 3,000 to flee.
Beirut hit again by Israel as Iran vows not to back down
Israeli military claims strikes targeted new Hezbollah leaders
Police officers win appeal in athlete stop and search case
Two former Metropolitan Police officers have been handed their jobs back after winning an appeal against a ruling that they had lied about a stop and search incident involving British athlete Bianca Williams.
Royal Navy chief apologises for submarine service abuse
The head of the Royal Navy has apologised after an investigation found \"misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours\" in the submarine service.
Women say gender equality in the workplace has stalled
Gender equality in the workplace has stalled as women report experiencing many of the same challenges as they did nearly 30 years ago, a new survey of high-flyers suggests.