TONY BLAIR blocked proposals for an ambitious race equality strategy following the inquiry report into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, newly released government papers revealed yesterday.

The landmark Macpherson report, published in February 1999, set out wide-ranging proposals for reform after it found that the Metropolitan Police investigation into the 1993 killing in south-east London had failed in part due to institutional racism.

In response, then home secretary Jack Straw, who had commissioned the inquiry, wanted to publish a government white paper with a 10-year strategy for tackling racial inequality.

But prime minister Mr Blair was sceptical from the outset, expressing concern that it could result in a “regulation nightmare.”

Mr Straw set out his proposals in a letter to the PM in December 1998 ahead of the publication of the inquiry’s final report two months later. 

These included a commitment by all government departments to put race equality at the heart of policy-making to help restore trust in the “institutions of British society.”

However, were misgivings in No 10 there about the approach and the commitment to a fixed timetable.

Angus Lapsley, an official in the PM’s private office, said they were “cool” towards a suggestion that police officers who committed acts of racism should be routinely dismissed, pointing to the possible press reaction.

“This could easily become a ‘Telegraph’ cause celebre if taken too far,” he noted.

In a handwritten note in the margin, Mr Blair wrote “I agree,” adding: “We do not want to go [over the top] on this.”

Proposals for a white paper were finally ruled out at a meeting between the PM and Mr Straw on March 18 1999.

Black Activists Rising Against Cuts slammed the revelations as “disgraceful,” with co-founder Zita Holbourne saying more radical action should not have been “side-stepped for fear of attracting unwanted media attention and creating a bit of work for government.”

She told the Morning Star: “The reaction of the media was perceived to be of more importance than the impact of racist abuse on black people; [this] speaks volumes in respect of the party’s attitude towards black communities.

“If the 10-year strategy had been implemented it might have gone some way to holding those responsible for racism to account, instead of finding ourselves experiencing the reverse with deepening racism amplified by austerity and the pandemic.”