Dear Mr Buckland,

I am writing to you on behalf of all your constituents who have chosen to sign this online petition. We urge you to use your elevated position, as MP for South Swindon constituency, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, to challenge the existing racial injustices that have been highlighted by the tragic murder of George Floyd. This is not just a problem in the United States. In the United Kingdom, Black people are disproportionately likely to die in police custody or following restraint; let no more names be added to the list that is already too long: Jimmy Mubenga, Rashan Charles, Sarah Reed, Sheku Bayoh and so many more. This appears against the backdrop of innumerable, continuing mechanisms of systemic racism, such as the race pay gap, bias within universities and in the workplace, and racialised disparities in living standards, housing and health. Whilst tackling racism is the responsibility of every individual, these remain institutional issues, to be met with a structural, governmental response.

The 2019 Conservative manifesto promised that this government would “tackle prejudice, racism and discrimination”. Yet, to date, there has been no indication of how your party plans to confront these issues, and there has been little evidence of any work to “tackle” racial injustice. We, the public, have demonstrated through our protests, media and civic engagement that we are committed to educating ourselves on the structures sustaining systemic racism and we expect our representatives to do the same. With the wealth of education resources and experts available, it is unacceptable that so little action has been taken. It is your duty to review, debate and act on the issues being raised by the Black Lives Matter movement and a multitude of other civic organisations.

Here are four key policy points that have been pushed for by public figures, collective groups, multiple petitions and now your constituents, to address the systemic racial inequality that pervades the United Kingdom.

1. Support mandatory inclusion of books and lessons - which confront historical and present day racial injustices, including the role of the United Kingdom in colonialism and slavery - into the core education curriculum. For example, a 2019 YouGov Survey showed that 33% of people still regarded colonialism as a positive force for other countries, while 28% admitted to not knowing enough about it.
2. Release the complete report into BAME COVID-19 deaths and hold a public inquiry into the disproportionate impact of the virus on BAME communities. Members of the BAME community make up around 66% of healthcare staff who have died from COVID-19, despite only being 20% of the workforce.
3. Hold a public inquiry into the disproportionate use of stop and search measures on Black and Asian groups by the police. In 2018, 43% of stop searches by police in London were conducted on black individuals, despite them only making up 15.6% of the population. 
4. Commit to increasing the representation of ethnic minorities in public roles, as well as the use of anti-racism experts and BAME representative groups to consult on future policy. In 2019, only 10% of MPs come from a BAME group background and just 6% of members of The House Lords are from BAME communities, despite a total BAME population of at least 14%. Finally, in 2018, BAME employees only made up 7.4% of board members in top companies. 

We look forward to receiving a response addressing how you are going to promote these four issues, and what your constituents can expect in terms of parliamentary action. The current standards and policy of the government, police and our education system are being shown as ineffective and in need of substantial change. We, as citizens, are in the process of being self-critical and reflective towards our own privilege, whether it be our race, class or gender. We now implore you and your political colleagues to do the same, so that we may work towards a fairer future.

Yours Sincerely,

Concerned members of your South Swindon constituency

 

Additional Note:

The more people who sign this petition or write their own letter/email to South Swindon, the more likely he is to act on the issue of racism and bring it up in parliament. If you live in the South Swindon constituency and have your own personal views you would like to extend towards Robert Buckland MP, please do write your own letter. This is not an all-encompassing report on the issue of racial injustice, just an attempt to have it raised in the political sphere. You can support this letter, write your own, or both! I do not claim to have come up with any of the points expressed in this letter myself, they are a condensed expression of what a plethora of public figures, BME lead collective action groups and charities have been studying and proposing for decades. I would recommend educating yourself further around the issue of racial injustice using the resources these groups provide, such as: https://www.goodgoodgood.co/anti-racism-resources

Finally, if you want to do something like this for your own constituency and want to know how I have gone about it, please feel free to email me at openlettertorobertbucklandmp@gmail.com

 

Sources:

Education Stats: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/topic/Colonialism

Covid-19 Impact Stats: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/about-us/covid-19/impact-of-covid19-on-bame-staff-in-mental-healthcare-settings_assessment-and-management-of-risk_13052020v2.pdf?sfvrsn=1068965_2

Stop and Search Stats: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/jan/26/met-police-disproportionately-use-stop-and-search-powers-on-black-people

Parliamentary Representation: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50808536

https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/lln-2019-0150/

Business Representation: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/04/top-uk-firms-failing-to-increase-boardroom-diversity-study-shows

Covid-19 Review: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52922046