The plight of white, working class communities has been one of the more interesting narratives of recent years, with right wing populist politicians specifically targeting these communities and pledging to step in for a political class that they suggest has ignored them for a generation.

It’s a narrative that new research from the University of Leeds and The Runnymede Trust doesn’t really hold up.  Instead, they argue that towns and cities in the north of England are increasingly multicultural, and would be better served if they were looked at purely in terms of their working class base rather than particular racial groups.

“Racial and ethnic diversity is growing in the North of England,” the authors say. “While numbers are lower than the national average (below 9% compared with 14% in England and Wales), some Northern cities have among the largest minority populations in the UK.”

False narrative

The paper highlights how much of the media narrative of working class people revolves around white and northern, which overlooks the significant and growing ethnic minority working class communities in northern towns.

This narrative has been especially pronounced during the Brexit debate, but it’s a narrative that harms attempts to tackle inequalities in these towns in areas ranging from education to home ownership.  It also feeds into a hostile and harmful narrative on limiting immigration and rejecting multiculturalism.

The authors urge a more inclusive narrative to emerge that revolves around a multi-ethnic working class so that the inequalities of opportunities and outcomes in Britain are tackled holistically.

“Racial inequalities are a feature of modern Britain but they run deeper in the North of England – in towns and smaller places,” the authors explain.  “Yet the North is not a monolithic area and there is remarkable variation between cities and towns.  Future plans for regeneration of Northern cities and towns have to reflect and cater to their racially diverse population”

Racial disparity

They suggest that the creation of the national Racial Disparity Audit by the UK government is a positive step, but it’s vital that this is followed by substantial investment in the areas where inequality is greatest.

“The racial inequalities that BME groups and people experience – for example in education and employment – should be tackled as part of any national or regional economic growth agendas, including those proposed by mayors,” the authors conclude.  “The briefing also stresses that ethnic minorities have been part of working class communities in the North since post-war migration and should not be forgotten or ignored in current political and media coverage of ‘working class communities’.”