A Tory peer who led a controversial government inquiry into racial disparity has claimed the Church of England’s investment fund to address its historic links to slavery is “almost like bribery” and only “for show”.
The church’s initial £100 million fund - set up to invest in members of disadvantaged black communities - was deemed too small and slow by an independent oversight group earlier this year, with the group saying the Church Commissioners had moved to embrace a target of £1 billion.
Lord Sewell of Sanderstead, who chaired the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (Cred), which was set up by then-prime minister Boris Johnson in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, told The Times the church had made a “political” decision to start the fund and was doing it “for show”.
In an interview with the newspaper on the upcoming release of his book, Black Success: The Surprising Truth, the peer said the fund is “almost like bribery” and claimed Britain was much less racist than it was 40 years ago.
He told the outlet: “We need to have a conversation with the Archbishop (of Canterbury) and ask what he is doing.
“It would be so much better to focus on bringing people back to a time when the church was packed.”
The Cred published a report in 2021 which faced a backlash after it concluded that while racism is a “real force”, Britain is no longer a country where the “system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”.
The commission said geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion all impact life chances more than racism.
It also found no evidence of “institutional racism” and criticised the way the term has been applied, saying it should not be used as a “catch-all” phrase for any microaggression.
The panel’s report sparked a fierce response with politicians and other public figures branding it insulting and divisive.