Boris Johnson defends UK's race record after athlete accuses police of racial profiling

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson defends the country's progress on racism after allegations about racial profiling of a black athlete.

Athlete Bianca Williams warming up in Germany.

Athlete Bianca Williams warming up in Germany. Source: Getty Images Europe

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised the United Kingdom for making "incredible progress" in the fight against systemic racism, but he admitted that more work needed to be done.

During a visit to a construction site in northern England on Monday, Mr Johnson agreed racism and discrimination needs to be addressed but he acknowledged how far the UK has come.
"I think the UK has made incredible progress just in my lifetime, just in the last 20 years or so, we've changed," he said. 

"But that doesn't mean we have done enough and we've got to keep doing better, and we need to keep addressing people's feelings that they face discrimination and prejudice and that's what we are going to do," Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson's remarks come after a high profile Black British athlete, Bianca Williams and her Black Portuguese boyfriend, athlete Ricardo Dos Santos, were stopped by police at the weekend in London in an incident that Ms Williams has said left her feeling "scared".
Bianca Williams and Dina Asher-Smith from Great Britain celebrate a win
Bianca Williams and Dina Asher-Smith from Great Britain celebrate a win. Source: Getty Images Europe
Ms Williams, who filmed the incident on her phone, said the police were "aggressive" during the incident on Saturday, when she and Mr Dos Santos were stopped by police in their car.

Mr Dos Santos said the pair were stopped for allegedly driving suspiciously and the police wanted to check for weapons.

He added that the police said that they smelled cannabis when they took him out of the car, but denied having ever taken any form of drugs.
A police statement quoted in local media reports said: "Officers from the Directorate of Professional Standards have reviewed both footage from social media, and the body-worn video of the officers, and are satisfied that there is no concern around the officers' conduct".

But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told The Times, questions need to be answered about whether the pair was targetted and potentially racially profiled. 

Mr Johnson said a cross governmental commission was established to investigate how to help ethnic minority groups facing disparities.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new review into inequality, after anti-racism protests swept the UK.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new review into inequality, after anti-racism protests swept the UK. Source: AAP
The inquiry was announced last month following Black Lives Matter protests and criticism over racial inequality.

"Things are changing, and what we need to do is get more into the boardroom and get more change, change the balance in the way our country runs and we will get there," Mr Johnson said. 


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Source: Reuters, SBS



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