The Race Relations Act 1968 was an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
making it illegal to refuse housing, employment, or public services to a person on the grounds of colour, race, ethnic or national origins in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
(although not in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, which had its own
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
at the time). It also created the Community Relations Commission to promote 'harmonious community relations'.
The Act made amendments to the
Race Relations Act 1965
The Race Relations Act 1965 was the first legislation in the United Kingdom to address racial discrimination.
The Act outlawed discrimination on the "grounds of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins" in public places in Great Britain.
It ...
. It was superseded (and repealed) by the
Race Relations Act 1976
The Race Relations Act 1976 was established by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race. The scope of the legislation included discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic and na ...
.
On 25 October 1968, the Race Relations Bill was given Royal Assent and so came into law as the Race Relations Act 1968. This Act expanded the provisions of the 1965 Race Relations Act, which had banned racial discrimination in public places and made promoting racial hatred a crime. The 1968 Act focused on eradicating discrimination in housing and employment. It aimed to ensure that the second-generation immigrants “who have been born here” and were “going through our schools” would get “the jobs for which they are qualified and the houses they can afford”. Although there was considerable debate during the second reading of the Bill, consensus was eventually reached with the Bill passing its third reading 182 ayes to 44 noes.
The Act was criticised for poorly translating "new standards of behaviour" into an effective legal document. The bill which introduced the Act was the focus of
Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech
The "Rivers of Blood" speech was made by British Member of Parliament (MP) Enoch Powell on 20 April 1968, to a meeting of the Conservative Political Centre in Birmingham, United Kingdom. His speech strongly criticised mass immigration, especi ...
, delivered to the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
Conservative Association
A Conservative Association (CA) is a local organisation composed of Conservative Party members in the United Kingdom. Every association varies in membership size but all correspond to a parliamentary constituency in England, Wales, Scotland and No ...
on 20 April 1968.
telegraph.co.uk: "Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech"
12 Dec 2007 Powell was sacked from Ted Heath's shadow cabinet the following day.
See also
* Ethnic relations
The sociology of race and ethnic relations is the study of social, political, and economic relations between races and ethnicities at all levels of society. This area encompasses the study of systemic racism, like residential segregation and o ...
* Racism in the United Kingdom
Racism in the United Kingdom refers to negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity held by various people and groups in the United Kingdom. The extent and the targets of racist attitudes in the United Kingdom have varied over time. It has ...
References
External links
Text of the Act as originally enacted (PDF)
from the Office of Public Sector Information
The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom. The OPSI is part of the National Archives of the Un ...
.
50th Anniversary of the 1968 Race Relations Act - UK Parliament - Living Heritage
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1968
Anti-discrimination law in the United Kingdom
Race relations in the United Kingdom
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