🇬🇧 Andy Burnham
Burnham signals support for bill to make Black English and Asian English census options
What happened
Andy Burnham has expressed support for a bill to add Black English and Asian English as census options in England, following a cross-party push led by a Liberal Democrat MP. The bill aims to allow people to define themselves as both black and English for ethnicity options. The current census in England only offers "English" within the "White" category, unlike Scotland and Wales. Burnham has stated he would support the bill to address a perceived issue with the current census definition.
Why it matters
The proposed change could affect how people from minority ethnic backgrounds are represented in the census and how they identify with their English heritage. It also reflects a public debate about what it means to be English and who can claim English identity. The issue has been raised by some MPs who argue that only white people can be English.
Key facts
- The bill is a 10-minute rule bill, which does not have a chance of becoming law without government support.
- The current census in England only offers "English" within the "White" category.
- 60% of England's World Cup squad would not be classified as English under the current census definition.
- The census in Scotland and Wales offers options such as "Scottish Asian" and "Black Welsh".
- About 11% of the UK-born population in England and Wales are from a minority ethnic background.
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Publisher evidence used
Reporting attributed to aol.co.uk. WorldLeadersNews links readers to the publisher and does not present a headline-only item as a full article analysis.
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