Theresa May delays publication of 'explosive' race audit until September - report

John Ashmore

The Government is holding back publication of a report on racial inequality because its findings are deemed so "explosive", according to reports.



Theresa May last year commissioned a 'race audit' to find out how people from ethnic minorities are treated when using public services.

Announcing the audit, the Prime Minister said the work would "highlight the differences in outcomes for people of different backgrounds, in every area from health to education, childcare to welfare, employment, skills and criminal justice".

It formed part of the plan she set out on entering Downing St to tackle the "burning injustices" blighting British society and was due to be published this month.

However, today's Times reports that the Conservatives are holding back on publication to avoid any unwanted controversy before the summer parliamentary recess.

A Cabinet Office source told the paper the findings were "pretty explosive", while a Downing St source called it "pretty bad".

The data compiled so far apparently shows that wealthy white people receive better services from the state than their BME counterparts, including in areas such as cancer treatment.

“We cannot just dump this out there,” a Tory source told the paper. “It has the ability to really kick off.”