Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated support for legislation that would introduce dedicated ethnicity categories allowing people to identify as Black English or Asian English on the next national census. The backing comes after Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde tabled a proposal to expand ethnicity options for respondents at the 2031 population count, according to BBC News.
When asked at Prime Minister's Questions whether he would support Babarinde's proposal, Burnham said he had not reviewed the plan's details. However, he stated:
I stand here thinking that I would want to support that bill, to directly take on the poisonous politics we've seen from some in this House. He continued:
We must bring people back together. I am interested in working with anyone in this House who shares that aim. Burnham did not respond to a follow-up question from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey about whether he would meet Babarinde to discuss the proposal, nor did he clarify whether the government would allocate parliamentary time for debate.
Babarinde introduced the English Ethnic Identity (Census Particulars) Bill on Tuesday under a procedure allowing MPs to propose new laws through a 10-minute speech. The bill has secured cross-party sponsorship, including support from Labour former deputy prime minister David Lammy, Conservative MPs Sir James Cleverly and Mark Pritchard, and Liberal Democrat MPs Victoria Collins, Munira Wilson and Layla Moran. Private members' bills rarely become law without government support but are frequently used by MPs to highlight policy concerns and generate public attention for proposed changes.
How did the 2021 census handle ethnicity?
The 2021 census asked respondents a two-stage question about ethnicity, with options grouped under five broad ethnic headings. In England, the form listed "English" as an option within the white ethnic category, but respondents wishing to describe themselves as Black English or Asian English could only do so through a free-form text box. Wales offered "Asian Welsh" and "Black Welsh" as specific options within the broader categories, with "Welsh" available as a choice under the white category. Scotland included "Scottish Asian" in its broad categories, while "Black Scottish" was provided as an example response for the text box.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 81.7% of residents in England and Wales—48.7 million people—identified within the high-level "White" category in 2021, while 9.3%, or 5.5 million, identified within "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh". The ONS offered 19 tick-box ethnicity responses overall, including write-in options, which supported 287 categories in its most detailed ethnic-group outputs.
Why is this change being proposed now?
Babarinde has previously explained to the BBC that he tabled the bill following remarks by former Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman, who defected to Reform UK earlier this year. In 2015, Braverman wrote that she was British Asian but said she "cannot claim to be English" despite being born and educated in England. She has reaffirmed this position in recent weeks, writing on social media that Englishness was "an ethnicity" and it was "not racist to say this". She added:
To say I'm English is to take a 'laissez-faire, anything-goes' attitude to ethnicity, citizenship and identity. It also denies me my Asian heritage.
Speaking on Tuesday, Babarinde argued that his proposed law would establish Black English and Asian English as explicit new categories, contending that the text box on the current form "may as well be the margin" for those seeking to identify with these terms.
What is the legislative process?
MPs agreed to the bill's introduction without a vote, as is standard procedure for a 10-minute-rule bill. The detailed questions asked during the census in England and Wales are determined by legislation following recommendations from the Office for National Statistics. The law setting out the questions for the 2021 census was passed approximately 10 months before it took place in March 2021. The Scottish government delayed the census in Scotland until 2022 because of the Covid pandemic.
What happens next?
The bill is scheduled to return to the Commons for its second reading on 23 April 2027, St George's Day. However, it is unlikely to progress without government backing and the allocation of parliamentary time. The government has not yet confirmed whether it will support the measure or provide time for it to be debated and voted on in Parliament.
