MPs call for 'Black English' and 'Asian English' census options

Summarised from 5 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 11 Nov, 21:14 · Archive

Cross-party MPs are calling for the census to include 'Black English' and 'Asian English' as ethnicity options, in response to Reform UK claims that only white people can be English.

Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde has introduced legislation to allow people to define themselves as Black English or Asian English on the census. Currently, English is offered only within the White category, a restriction Babarinde argues treats English people with Black and Asian heritage as 'marginal'. The Eastbourne MP, who is also Lib Dem president, said he is a proud Englishman with proud Nigerian heritage, and that his parents and he were born and grew up in England.

The proposal, dubbed the St George's Bill, has drawn cross-party support including from Labour's David Lammy, a former deputy prime minister, and Conservative James Cleverly, a former foreign secretary. Babarinde told MPs that most people in Britain agree you do not have to be white to be English. He noted that under current census definitions, 60 per cent of England's World Cup squad would not technically be classified as English on the census.

The bill responds directly to comments from Reform UK MP Suella Braverman, a former Conservative home secretary, who argued that she did not consider herself ethnically English because of her south Asian heritage. Braverman said she took a conservative approach to ethnicity and citizenship, stating that Englishness is an ethnicity that has existed for centuries.

At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey raised the bill with Andy Burnham, calling it a matter of rejecting what he termed racist ideas. Burnham signalled support, saying: 'I haven't looked at the detail of the Bill but I stand here thinking that I would want to support that Bill, to directly take on the poisonous politics that we've seen from some in this House.' He added that some issues should 'rise above party politics'.

Babarinde told the BBC that he had received death threats for saying that you do not have to be white to be English. He argued that English ethnicity is a matter of historical fact and has never been based on one bloodline, noting that even the Royal Family has German roots. He also pointed out that St George, the patron saint of England, was traditionally from modern-day Turkey.

The bill is a private member's bill introduced under a 10-minute rule, allowing Babarinde to make a brief speech proposing the change. Such bills rarely become law without government backing but are often used by MPs to raise awareness of issues. Burnham did not specify whether the government would give the bill time for debate in Parliament. The next census is due in 2031. Wales and Scotland have already made similar changes to their census ethnicity categories.

How it is being reported

• Burnham signals backing for more ethnicity options on next censusIt comes after a Lib Dem MP said black English or Asian English should be specific options for respondents.BBC Politics · 11 Nov, 15:47
• Burnham signals support for bill to make ‘Black English’ and ‘Asian English’ census optionsPM welcomes cross-party push to reject ethnic basis for Englishness promoted by Reform UK politicians UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has said he is likely to support a bill tabled by a Liberal Democrat MP that would allow people to define themselves as both black and English for ethnicity options in the census for England. The bill was drawn up by Josh Babarinde, the Lib Dem president, with backing from a cross-party mix of MPs including David Lammy, a former Labour deputy prime minister, and James Cleverly, the Conservative former foreign secretary. Continue reading...The Guardian · 11 Nov, 14:50
• Burnham signals support for 'Black English' and 'Asian English' options on censusThe PM says he’d back the legislation to ‘take on the poisonous politics’ of those who are ‘seeking to divide us’The Independent · 11 Nov, 14:24
• Andy Burnham signals support for making 'Black English' and 'Asian English' census optionsAndy Burnham signalled he could throw his weight behind the drive by Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde, who wants to challenge the idea that being English means being whiteThe Mirror · 11 Nov, 14:21
• Andy Burnham hints he will back Bill to add 'black English' and 'Asian English' categories to CensusAndy Burnham said he 'wants' to support the legislation when he was challenged Lib Dem leader Ed Davey in the Commons this afternoon.Daily Mail · 11 Nov, 12:52
• Census should include black English and Asian English options, says MPJosh Babarinde's proposal is also supported by other MPs, including David Lammy and Sir James Cleverly.BBC News · 10 Nov, 22:04
• ‘Black English’ and ‘Asian English’ should be census options, MPs sayExclusive: Cross-party call for ethnicity options to be broadened beyond ‘English’ being only within ‘White’ category Britons should be able to define themselves as both Black and English, according to senior MPs who are calling to broaden the range of ethnicity options in the census. The cross-party push is a riposte to Reform UK politicians who have claimed that people from minority ethnic backgrounds cannot have English ethnic identity. Continue reading...Guardian World · 9 Nov, 16:19

In this story: Josh Babarinde · David Lammy · James Cleverly · Suella Braverman · Andy Burnham · Ed Davey · Kemi Badenoch · Reform UK

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log