Blunkett vows to fight 'hidden racism'

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, vowed yesterday to fight "hidden racism" endured by ethnic minorities in employment, housing and education. He also pledged to help poor white communities where racism was bred by "fears and insecurity".

Victims of "hidden racism", he said, included children who had done well at school but had been hindered by teachers who declared themselves to have no problem with ethnicity or religious difference. He also referred to the denial of equal access for ethnic minorities to job opportunities and public services.

He promised that a strategy to "bring tangible improvements" to ethnic- minority communities would be published this summer.

Speaking to the Kirklees Race Equality Council in West Yorkshire, where the British National Party recently won a town hall seat, Mr Blunkett said that strong, cohesive communities were vital to stop racist groups from driving wedges into society. The riots in northern towns in the summer of 2001 broke out, he said, because communities felt "powerless and isolated".

The Crown Prosecution Service said yesterday the number of people prosecuted for racially motivated crimes in England and Wales increased by 16 per cent last year. It dealt with 2,674 defendants for racist crimes in the year to April 2002, up 373 on the previous year.

Of those charged, 69 per cent entered guilty pleas and 14 per cent were convicted after trial. The overall conviction rate of 83 per cent remained the same.