Labour 'blocking' ethnic MPs

Trevor Phillips (left) is one of Labour's most senior black figures

Labour has been accused of erecting "institutional barriers" to aspiring politicians from minority communities, by one of the party's most senior black figures.

Chairman of the new London Assembly, Trevor Phillips, said it was a "disgrace" that so few black politicians sat on the new body.

Clearly there are institutional barriers to black participation at the highest level

Trevor Phillips

In an article in the Observer, Mr Phillips also claimed devolved assemblies in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London were "virtually whites-only areas".

While admitting all parties caused the problem, Mr Phillips was most critical of New Labour, which counts black voters among their core supporters.

"The problem lies in the nature of the party itself, and we need to take a hard look at why we are failing our most committed members," he said.

"Clearly, there are institutional barriers to black participation at the highest level."

Mr Phillips - who ran as Frank Dobson's deputy in the London mayoral elections - said new selection procedures could deter potential candidates.

Labour challenged

"The professionalisation of selection with high-powered interviews and presentations, though improving the calibre of candidates, requires a kind of life experience denied to many from minority communities," he said.

"Would the young Bernie Grant have made it through the current process? I think not."

Speaking in The Observer newspaper, Mr Phillips challenges Labour to commit to a public target and suggests some aspirant MPs who are not black or Asian should put their ambitions on hold.

And given that 40-50% of the Labour vote in London is black or Asian, there should be at least 25 MPs who are not white, he argues.

The criticism comes close to accusing the Labour hierarchy of institutional racism and echoes criticism made by black union leader Bill Morris.

It also comes as the party begins the selection of a candidate to replace Bernie Grant, who died earlier this year.

Gurbux Singh, new chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, said if true Mr Phillips' accusation was "extremely" worrying.

"If you look at national politics how many significant black and Asian politicians do we actually have - a mere handful, and I suspect that that is not likely to change at the next general election.

"So there are some matters of real concern which the Labour Party needs to address."