Undercurrents: Race in Westminster, and COVID-19 Expertise

This episode features discussions of structural racism within Westminster, and how expertise on COVID-19 is increasingly being undermined.

Audio

Published 11 June 2020

Updated 5 October 2020 — 49 minute listen

Agnes Frimston

Deputy Editor, The World Today

Yusuf Hassan

Former Parliamentary, Media and Outreach Officer, Africa Programme

The tragic killing of George Floyd in Minnesota at the end of May has sparked a wave of protests in the US and around the world. It has also sparked an important, long-overdue and often difficult, discussion on racism.

This week Ben speaks to Yusuf Hassan about the issue of race in UK politics, and the obstacles that face ethnic minority individuals seeking to pursue a career in Westminster. 

Then Agnes discusses the tensions between expertise and politics in the response to the coronavirus pandemic with Calum Inverarity.  

Explore the New York Times reading list:

An Antiracist Reading List, by Ibram X. Kendi