OBV Chair Urges Burnham to Link Racism and Class Inequality in First Policy Address

David Weaver, chair of Operation Black Vote, has issued a direct call to incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fundamentally shift the national mood on racism, warning against the use of migration discourse to obscure class inequalities. Marking the 30th anniversary of the nonpartisan civil rights organisation, Weaver argued that Burnham must seize the opportunity to change a political culture where race and migration are utilised to deflect from ineffective leadership and systemic disparity.

Weaver, who noted that Burnham’s prospectus for power includes reindustrialisation and technical education, emphasised that addressing class and regional inequalities is critical for societal cohesion. He stated that while conversations about class are often not explicitly about race, they are beneficial because they have the potential to make white working-class communities more secure, asserting that a society cannot thrive if it remains divided.

However, Weaver cautioned that the new administration cannot ignore the specificity of race, citing ethnonationalist rhetoric and recent unrest as factors driving Black and Asian Britons to consider leaving the UK at levels unseen since the 1970s. He highlighted that pessimism regarding the future in the UK is currently at its lowest since Enoch Powell’s “rivers of blood” speech, with many Black Britons feeling their identity is being questioned and discussing the diaspora more frequently.

Specific policy demands included granting legal aid to Windrush scandal survivors and overhauling the underperforming compensation scheme by removing it from Home Office control. Weaver also urged Burnham to restore the Labour whip to MP Diane Abbott, citing her treatment as a consistent concern for Black voters. He warned that ignoring the links between the Windrush scandal and current remigration rhetoric would constitute a moral and ethical political failing.

The urgency of these calls is underscored by recent polling data. Research from Hope Not Hate in March revealed that 54% of Reform UK members support the removal or encouragement to leave of non-white British citizens born abroad, while an IPPR study in December found that 71% of Reform voters believe British ancestry is a prerequisite for being truly British. In response to these divisions, Operation Black Vote is developing coalition-building strategies to engage with white working-class communities and right-wing activists to form allegiances across societal divides.