A new review has concluded that racism inside the Metropolitan Police is not accidental or historic but structurally embedded, reigniting demands for reform and raising fresh calls for the Commissioner to resign if change does not finally happen.
A major internal review has found that discrimination against black people is deeply embedded in the leadership, culture and governance of the Metropolitan Police. The independently commissioned study, led by Dr Shereen Daniels of HR Rewired, examined forty years of evidence documenting how racism has affected black communities as well as black officers and staff within the force. The findings reveal that darker-skinned employees were often labelled confrontational, while lighter-skinned colleagues received quicker empathy and leniency. Dr Daniels stated that systemic racism within the Met was not a matter of perception but a proven reality, stressing that real accountability begins with specificity and action.
Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack in 1993, said that while the report was welcome, it contained nothing she did not already know. She said racism must be acknowledged and confronted within the Met, adding that her son’s death and the police’s failure to bring all his killers to justice were rooted in discrimination. Imran Khan KC echoed this sentiment, saying the report’s findings should not come as a surprise and calling on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to resign if he fails to recognise and act on its conclusions. He said the time for discussion had passed and that promises of change were no longer credible.
The new report follows a series of damning reviews into the Met, including Louise Casey’s 2023 investigation that labelled the force institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Earlier reports such as the 1999 Macpherson inquiry had made similar accusations. Recent undercover BBC footage also exposed racist and violent remarks made by serving officers, leading to several dismissals. Sir Mark Rowley said that the Met must become inclusive and anti-racist to truly earn public trust in a diverse city like London.
