Rishi Sunak condemns n-word slur found in official DWP document

Exclusive: Tory MP says officials should ‘hang heads in shame’ after paperwork scrapped following investigation by The Independent

The guidance has now been scrapped after the issue was raised by The Independent (PA Archive)

Rishi Sunak has denounced a government document on benefit assessments that had to be withdrawn after The Independent revealed that it included a racist slur.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guidance, which was first issued in 2010 to help doctors assess disability benefit claims but was still in use last month, referred to Black people as being of the “N*****d race”.

Asked about the document, which has now been scrapped after the issue was raised by this publication, the PM’s official spokesperson said: “It is clearly offensive and unacceptable. We do not condone the language in this 13-year-old document.”

Mr Sunak’s criticism came as a chorus of politicians and campaigners hit out at the document, which refers specifically to assessments for osteoporosis and was issued as a guide to doctors in Northern Ireland.

Simon Woolley praised The Independent for “highlighting this awful discriminatory labelling by government officials”. “It is not just that it was a racial slur,” Lord Woolley added. “It is also indicative of how demeaning[ly] Black people in this country are seen.”

Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley, a member of the all-party parliamentary group on race and community, said officials responsible for the advice “ought to hang their heads in shame”.

He called on the DWP to search through the rest of its guidance to ensure there are no other terms “which should not have been in current guidance, and should not have been in current guidance for 100 years”.

And Sir Peter said the DWP “should be thanking The Independent for spotting what was in front of their own eyes”.

He said: “The intent is questionable, but the use of the word is at least 100 years past its acceptable use. I think that those responsible for providing this advice to DWP staff ought to hang their heads in shame.”

Rishi Sunak has denounced document (PA Wire)

Former pensions minister Ros Altmann said it was “astonishing” that the term had been used in an official document, as she praised The Independent for exposing the guidance and added that she is “pleased that it is no longer going out”.

She also called on the DWP to launch a review of the language used in its guidance in the wake of the incident.

“I am sure this was inadvertent, but it does seem there should be some review of the wording and guidance from the point of view of the standards of modern language,” said Baroness Altmann. “There should be some standardised language for any public-facing documents so that we do not cause inadvertent offence.”

The offending document was signed off by the DWP before being distributed to health professionals employed by Atos, a contractor that runs disability benefit assessments on behalf of the government.

After the use of the word was raised by The Independent, Atos launched an investigation. It confirmed that the document had first been handed out in Northern Ireland in 2010 and was still in circulation.

The company said the guidance was issued to medics carrying out specific assessments for Medical Support Services on behalf of the government.

Labour MP Anneliese Dodds, the shadow secretary of state for women and equalities, said: “It’s unacceptable that an official government document could use such overtly racist language – and appalling that healthcare professionals are still being influenced by the disgusting trope this document contains.

“The government must urgently explain how this document was approved by the Department of Work and Pensions and investigate how on earth it has remained in circulation for so long. A Conservative government that denies the existence of structural racism will never be fit to tackle it.”

Liberal Democrat equalities spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “There is absolutely no place for racist terms or racism of any kind anywhere in our society, but especially not within government.

“It is appalling that this language was used in written guidance by the DWP and that it took an investigation by The Independent for it to be unearthed. It is right for it to now be withdrawn, but it is disturbing it took this long.”

Dr Shabna Begum, co-CEO of the race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust, also said it was “shocking” that the paperwork had been in circulation so recently.

“Whether something was drafted 100 years ago or one year ago, no document, particularly one from a government department, containing racist language should be in circulation in 2023,” she said. “It is telling that this has only been noticed now, and shows how important it is that everyone is properly educated on what racist language is.”

MPs and peers have called on the DWP to launch a review of the language used in its guidance (PA)

Dr Begum claimed the use of racist language in official guidance is symptomatic of the reason behind racial inequalities in healthcare: entrenched discriminatory attitudes towards people from minoritised communities.

“Language matters because it tells us about how people know and understand the world, and has real-life consequences informing how we behave,” she continued.

“Healthcare professionals have been guided to think about some of society’s most vulnerable people in terms that are racist and dehumanising; to imagine that this doesn’t influence the service and decisions that are made is disingenuous.

“Until we take seriously an anti-racist approach to healthcare, whether in [the] language [used] in documents or how medical care is practically delivered, Black and minority ethnic people are being actively harmed.”

The Black Equity Organisation (BEO), “the UK’s first major Black civil rights charity”, described the DWP slur as “troubling” and called on the government to launch an internal inquiry into its materials.

Dr Wanda Wyporska, CEO of BEO, said: “It is concerning that major institutions, such as the recent example at the Post Office and now those working on behalf of the DWP, have not reviewed shared materials for over a decade – how does that benefit the people they are meant to serve?

“It is essential that government institutions, and those who work on their behalf, lead by example and prioritise inclusivity and respect for all citizens. Therefore, we are calling on the government for a comprehensive review of internal processes to prevent any further incidences of disseminating offensive content and racial slurs.”

An Atos spokesperson said: “We are grateful this has been brought to our attention. We regret that this term appeared in osteoporosis training materials for health professionals in one region of the UK – these have now been removed pending further investigation.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “We do not condone the language used in this 13-year-old document, which was produced for the use of Atos health professionals in 2010.”

The spokesperson added that work capability assessments in Northern Ireland are a devolved matter and that they are the responsibility of the Department for Communities (DfC) in Northern Ireland. But a spokesperson for the DfC said the DWP is responsible.

A DfC spokesperson said: “The Department for Communities did not commission or approve this guidance but regrets the use of this language in material owned by its Work Capability Assessment provider in Northern Ireland.”