Author Archives: BLAC Liberal Democrats

An Open Letter from BLAC Lib Dems

The tragic story surrounding Professor Jason Arday has left many of us deeply troubled. Let us be clear: plagiarism is unacceptable. Academic standards matter, and allegations of academic misconduct must be investigated properly and fairly.

But we also need to ask a bigger question about the culture in which this controversy has unfolded.

There is a growing anti-inclusion movement in Britain — one that has imported much of the American culture war and increasingly portrays diversity, equality, and inclusion as threats to standards rather than essential parts of a healthy society.

At its heart is an ugly assumption: Black people who attain prominent positions must somehow have got there because standards were lowered, because of preferential treatment, or because their background mattered more than their ability.

We have seen versions of this narrative repeatedly. In sport, figures such as Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford have been targeted. In media and culture, Ed Enninful and Misan Harriman have faced attempts to diminish their achievements and attribute their prominence primarily to diversity initiatives.

This is not an argument against scrutiny. Public figures should be scrutinised, universities should uphold rigorous standards, and institutions should be accountable.

But scrutiny is not the same as suspicion.

If there were legitimate concerns about Professor Arday’s academic work or his readiness for a senior role, those concerns should have been identified and addressed through proper processes. If Cambridge failed in that responsibility, it should acknowledge it.

What we should not do is turn one Black academic’s difficulties into evidence for a wider ideological argument against diversity.

We are particularly concerned by the way some critics have celebrated what they regard as the exposure of a supposedly corrupt diversity agenda. Nathan Cofnas, described by the BBC as a “self-defined race realist” and who left Cambridge in 2024, has publicly claimed credit for exposing Arday. Whatever one’s views of Cofnas, his reaction illustrates the wider ideological context in which this controversy has been seized upon.

We should be wary of allowing American racial politics and culture-war narratives to become normalised in Britain.

There is another uncomfortable truth.

We failed Professor Arday too.

Dear Ed,

As you would expect, BLAC (Black Lives Action Committee) Liberal Democrats strongly rejects the findings of The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report published in March 2021, which has dismissed the concerns of ethnic minorities in relation to institutional racism in Britain. Wera Hobhouse, as the spokesperson for Justice, Women, and Equalities, has spoken on this issue and we welcome her statements. However, Wera responded on behalf of the Party without consulting with Black members, which is all too common in the Party.

The marginalization of Black voices within our Party is a serious concern among our membership. For example, the Party wants to reach Black voters, yet four times BLAC Liberal Democrats have sent its comprehensive pro-Black policy agenda to each of our members of parliament asking for help in transforming its strategic aims into Party Policy. Having had no response to emails, BLAC Liberal Democrats posted the document on a USB to the constituency offices. Still, our policy agenda has been ignored by the Parliamentary Party. In another example, BLAC Liberal Democrats made you aware that earlier this year a White investigator into a complaint of racism allowed White people alone to determine what was, and wasn’t, racist behaviour. This colonial approach is not acceptable within a modern Liberal Democrat Party, and you had promised to investigate. We are anxiously awaiting your response.

There is a willingness by some of the Party leadership to appease Black Liberal Democrats over a brief meet and greet, or to use us in campaigns, yet little is done to engage meaningfully with us and about the issues that matter to Black communities. Black people face this type of marginalization and gaslighting every day, it is the frustration that leads to the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement.