Half of Black Britons ‘don’t think UK has progressed on race since George Floyd murder’

Exclusive: YouGov poll comes as activists tell The Independent that racial equality in UK has worsened in past year.

George Floyd transformando la justicia (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Half of Black people in Britain (49 per cent) think race relations have stayed the same since George Floyd’s murder last year which sparked a resurgence in Black Lives Matter protests, an exclusive YouGov poll suggests.

The survey indicated that some 42 per cent of all ethnic minority groups are of this opinion and 45 per cent of respondents to a national representative survey, of predominantly white people, held this view.

The vast majority of Black respondents (91 per cent) who believe there have been improvements in race relations in the past 12 months said it had quicker than it previously had.

One third (33 per cent) of ethnic minority groups feel that racism has worsened during that time period.

Over 1,000 Black, Asian and minority ethnic adults, aged over 18, were involved in this poll.

Last summer’s protests saw thousands of people in cities across the UK march for greater equality following Mr Floyd’s death at the hands of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the US on May 25.

Mr Chauvin was found guilty of murder on 20 April and will be sentenced on 16 June.

These polling results come as activists said that racial equality in the UK has worsened since Mr Floyd’s death, pointing to the controversial Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities Report and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill as examples of where the Government has “undermined” progress over the past year.

Speaking to The Independent for a special report, Black Lives Matter UK said it had been “motivated by the resistance and organising” over the past year as “protesters connected the killing of a black American man in broad daylight” with racism that characterised institutions in the UK. But much of what came was “corporate and establishment lip service” to solidarity.

A spokesperson added: “We do not believe that lip service, or ‘awareness’ equals liberation.”

Meanwhile Marsha de Cordova, the shadow minister for equalities, said: “The events of 2020 including the unequal impact of Covid on Black, Asian and ethnic minority people, the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement were a significant turning point.

“Across the country, individuals, businesses and civil society are taking action to address racial injustice.

“Worryingly the government’s response has been to sow division and publish a divisive and offensive report which downplayed the impact of institutional and structural racism.”