Boris Johnso’s main black adviser has resigned …

A senior black adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned. Samuel Kasumu resigned a day after the publication of the controversial executive commissioned report claiming that in the UK there is no institutional racism.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Kasumu’s decision was unrelated to the report’s release. “Kasumu ha played an extremely valuable role “and” any suggestion that this decision … is related to the report of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) is totally inaccurate “.

Samuel Kasumu is Special Advisor for Civil Society and Communities. News of Kasumu’s resignation was published by the newspaper Politico who informed that the adviser will step down in May after tendering his resignation last week. Agree with PoliticoOn Wednesday morning – just before the publication of the CRED report – the Downing Street adviser communicated the decision to his colleagues.

The report was published by the Independent Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities created by Johnson in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. The 250-plus-page document concludes that the term “structural racism” is being misused as “a kind of wildcard for micro-aggression or acts of violence racial ”.

Simon woolley, a member of the House of Lords and director of the Committee on Disparities until 2020 is the one who appointed Kasumu as adviser to Downing Street. “The only black advisor at number 10 (in referencia a Downing Street) considered his only recourse to this dirty and divisive Sewell report is to resign. I appointed Samuel to the Racial Disparity Advisory Group when we launched it. He is an honest man whose energy has gone out of his way to serve his country and fight systemic racism, ”Woolley told the British newspaper. The Guardian.

“This is going to be a real moment for the Prime Minister and his staff at 10 Downing Street. Blacks across the country are burning with rage that their lived experience is denied and belittled of persistent racial inequality, ”added Woolley.

Last February, Kasumu tried to resign following the behavior of Equality Minister Kemi Badenoch, who publicly criticized a black journalist on social media. At that time, Kasumu wrote a letter to the Prime Minister in which he expressed concern over Badenoch’s conduct, adding that tensions over racial politics in Downing Street had become unbearable.

“It was neither fair nor justifiable, but somehow nothing was said. I waited, and waited, for something from the management team that even said an expected standard, but it did not materialize. “

Kasumu was then persuaded by Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi to continue in his post. Last month, Kasumu worked on campaigns to ensure the black population is vaccinated against covid-19.

For his part, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke about Kasumu’s resignation during a visit to Middlesbrough. Johnson said he worked closely with Samuel and thanked him for promoting the vaccine to the most reluctant groups and communities. The impact of the pandemic on ethnic minorities in Britain was one aspect that was downplayed in the controversial report. The report has been criticized by supporters of racial equality who have pointed out the great disparities that ethnic minorities suffer in health, education, employment and police oversight.