An office under the mayor of London that is in charge of public transport system in the British capital prohibits Whites from applying f...
An office under the mayor of London that is in charge of public transport system in the British capital prohibits Whites from applying for internships.
The National Pulse‘s Jake Welch named the said office as Transport for London (TFL) in a May 21 article. According to its website, TFL runs “the day-to-day operation of [London’s] public transport system” and manages its main roads. TFL lists Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London since 2016, as its chairman.
Welch’s piece zoomed in on the Stuart Ross Communications Internship (SRCI), which explicitly prohibits Whites from applying. The internship requirements state that potential applicants “must be of Black, Asian and minority ethnic background, defined as having some African, Afro-Caribbean, Asian or other non-White heritage.” Applicants accepted in the SCRI will receive an allowance of £21,824 ($26,946).
“The SRCI has been excluding ‘non-Whites’ for a number of years already, with many graduates of the scheme going on to work in a number of industries – including local government and the Metropolitan Police,” Welch wrote.
Vacancies that exclude White people such as the SCRI are lawful in the U.K. under the guise of “positive action.” The Equality Act of 2010 allows companies to exclude White candidates, provided it addresses “under-representation or disadvantage.”
However, no solid legal definition of those terms exists. Even a guide published by the British Government Equalities Office to aid with the interpretation of the Equality Act could not define the two terms.
Even state broadcaster BBC discriminates against Whites
TFL is not the first instance of a government entity banning Whites from similar positions. Even state broadcaster BBC banned White applicants from applying for its media trainee positions back in 2021.
A June 2021 piece in the Daily Mail expounded on the issue, pointing out that the broadcaster advertised an opening for a trainee role. The internship would involve a production management assistant role to be assigned at the BBC‘s Science Unit in Glasgow, Scotland. The internship notice was posted online by Creative Access, a company that seeks to increase the number of ethnic minorities working in the creative, media and arts industries.
Chosen applicants would receive a stipend of £17,810 ($21,986) for the position. They would also have the chance to work on popular BBC shows such as “Springwatch,” “The One Show” and “The Truth About.” However, it is “only open to black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates” as per the job description.
Aside from this, the BBC also posted an opening for a trainee researcher. The successful applicant would be assigned to the broadcaster’s Natural History Unit in the city of Bristol. However, the position was also “open only to candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds.”
The government broadcaster did not disclose how many training roles for minorities only were advertised. A spokesman remarked, however: “The BBC is a welcoming, inclusive organization committed to representing and reflecting our audiences.”
“We support a scheme organized by Creative Access, an independent organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the creative industries [that] provides development roles fully in line with the Equality Act,” he added.
Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager at the conservative group TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA), did not take too kindly to the idea of discrimination in hiring at the BBC.
“BBC bosses shouldn’t be supporting race-based recruiting with taxpayers’ money,” he said. “Taking an approach like this further undermines confidence in [them] and their use of [television] license fee payers’ cash.”