We like to imagine some kinds of progress are irreversible and congratulate ourselves on how far we have come. Life has already worsened in the last five years for many ethnic minority groups, particularly young black people. The number of long-term unemployed young people from ethnic minority communities rose by 49% between 2010 and 2015, while there was a 2% decrease among young white people. Yet as Mr Isaac noted, government efforts to tackle racial inequality have so far been piecemeal and stuttering; more “one-nation platitudes” than policies. Only hard and persistent work on both fronts can protect the advances that Britain has made and effect those still needed.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2016 18:56 UTC