David Isaac, the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said that for many ethnic minority groups – especially young black people – life had got worse in a number of areas over the past five years.
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Since 2010, there has been a 49% increase in the number of 16 to 24 year olds across the United Kingdom from ethnic minority communities who are long-term unemployed, compared with a fall of 2% if you are whiteBlack workers are also more than twice as likely to be in insecure forms of employment such as temporary contracts or working for an agency – which increased by almost 40% for black and Asian workers, compared with a 16% rise for white workers.
The report is the biggest review of race equality in the United Kingdom, looking at employment, housing, pay and criminal justice.
Ethnic minorities in police custody in England and Wales are significantly more likely to be physically restrained than white people.
“The combination of the post-Brexit rise in hate crime and deep race inequality in Britain is very worrying and must be tackled urgently, he said”.
BME people are far more likely to be victims of crime, and to be treated more harshly by the criminal justice system – with a rate of prosecution and sentencing three times higher than that of the white population.
Overall white people are more likely to be employed, better paid and in positions of power, the commission said.
Responding to the report, Farah Elahi, policy and research analyst at race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust, said the extent of the unfairness revealed in the report showed that lives were being ruined and talent held back on grounds of race.
Isaac called for the government to introduce a comprehensive race equality strategy.
The commission recommended that responsibility for the strategy be brought under one secretary of state, and said new targets to improve opportunities and outcomes for ethnic minority communities should be introduced.
A Downing Street spokesman said “there is clearly more to do”, but insists it is “making real progress” in making a “Britain which works for everyone”.
A government spokesperson told the BBC “real progress” was being made with regards to racial inequality, saying black and ethnic minority employment rates were at their highest levels for 15 years.
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“We are delivering a comprehensive race equality programme on employment, university places, apprenticeships, start-up loans and recruitment to the police and armed forces”.
