People should be allowed to identify as black no matter what colour they are born, a lecturers' union has said.

The University and College Union (UCU), which represents more than 100,000 university lecturers and staff, set out its position on whether people should be able to self-identify as different races or genders.

In the paper "UCU Position on Trans Inclusion", it stated: "The UCU has a long history of enabling members to self-identify, whether that is being black, disabled, LGBT or women."

The union's stance was criticised by some of its own members as "nonsensical". Kathleen Stock, a professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex, wrote on Twitter: "I'm still [a] member of UCU but Christ they make it hard when [they] publish this nonsensical, anti-intellectual propaganda."

The debate over racial self-identification has become heated in recent years. Last November, Anthony Lennon, a white theatre director who describes himself as an "African born again", drew criticism for securing public funding intended to help ethnic minorities develop their stage careers.

Mr Lennon, 53, who was born in London and whose parents are Irish, won a place on a two-year Arts Council-funded scheme, after a leading black theatre company accepted his claim to be of "mixed heritage".