Yvette Cooper is facing calls to step in after it emerged that West Yorkshire Police had temporarily stopped white British applicants from applying to become police officers – a move sparking outrage from political opponents who’ve slammed it as discriminatory.
The force says it’s part of efforts to improve diversity in their ranks, but the decision hasn’t gone down well with many, especially from the Conservative Party and Reform UK. The backlash has been swift, with critics branding it “racist” and accusing the police of sidelining white applicants, according to the Express.
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice told The Telegraph: “Once again we see another example of two-tier Britain. It’s disgraceful that West Yorkshire Police are treating white applicants as second-class citizens.”
He didn’t hold back, calling on the Home Secretary to put an end to it, and reiterating Reform’s position that they’d scrap all diversity and inclusion policies in favour of “merit-based employment”.
The Tories joined the chorus of disapproval. Shadow policing minister Matt Vickers called it “outrageous” and said: “No employer, least of all a police force funded by taxpayers, should discriminate against applicants based on their race.”
He also questioned why, with £1 million spent on diversity staff each year, the force still made what he called a “shameful blunder”. Vickers claimed the policy was part of “race-based social engineering” that had flourished under Labour and insisted it should be reversed.
Yvette Cooper responded by emphasising the importance of fairness. She said police forces need to ensure recruitment practices are “proper” and fair, adding: “Often, lots of organisations do encourage more applications from under-represented groups, but they also have to make sure that the actual decision making… is fair and is making sure that it’s about getting the best possible candidates.”
West Yorkshire Police explained their stance, pointing to a significant gap between the number of ethnic minority residents in the region and their current representation within the force. According to the latest census, 23% of people in West Yorkshire identify as being from an ethnic minority background, but just 9% of police officers come from those communities.
A spokesperson said the force is using Positive Action under the Equality Act 2010, which legally allows efforts to encourage applications from under-represented groups. They clarified that these candidates can submit an application at any time, and it will be held until the recruitment window officially opens. They also added that the policy had recently been reviewed by the government’s police inspectorate, which found no issues with it.
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