Labour hopes to ensure black-led firms access lucrative government contracts

Black-led businesses could be given more support to procure lucrative government contracts by a future Labour government as the party refines its offer to ethnic minority voters ahead of the next election.

Labours race equality task force, led by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, hopes to ensure that black-led groups get the chance to access a fair share of the billions of pounds paid out each year through government contracts, according to The Voice newspaper.

The Guardian understands that the task force, co-chaired by Labour party chair Anneliese Dodds, has also proposed introducing mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for firms with more than 250 staff, with the aim of closing the existing gap on salaries.

Task force member and human rights lawyer Jacqueline Mckenzie told the newspaper: There are no black firms that currently benefit at all [from government contracts], African heritage firms.

A number of Labour front benchers, legal experts and community groups are understood to have been discussing ways to deliver a new race equality act over the last few months.