The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today paid tribute to the work of Baroness Doreen Lawrence and the Lawrence family as he called on all Londoners to redouble their efforts to help root out racism and inequality.
Sadiq said progress has been made in the 20 years since the publication of the Macpherson Report into the handling of the murder of Stephen Lawrence by the Metropolitan Police, but there is still much work to be done within the police service and across society to tackle inequality and racism.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Twenty years ago, the Macpherson Report found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist. It was a landmark moment in the history of race relations in our country. It had a transformative effect on policing and how we view and tackle discrimination and prejudice across society.
“I would like to pay tribute to Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the Lawrence family and all those who campaigned so hard for an inquiry. It was through their courage and strength that the Macpherson Report made recommendations that changed our country’s landscape forever.
“The London my two children have grown up in is better than the one I experienced, but there is still much to do. We need to continue to root out racism, discrimination and inequality from our public institutions and from our society, and we still have much more to do to build trust, confidence and understanding between the police and London’s diverse communities.
“That’s why I am working closely with the Met Commissioner, taking a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination, and striving to ensure the Met’s workforce is truly representative of our city.
“On this important anniversary, we must redouble our efforts to root out the racism, discrimination and inequality that still exist in our city. We must give young people of all backgrounds the opportunities they need for a brighter future and point to the changes that have happened in order to remind all young Londoners that progress is possible.”