The Rt Hon The Lord Woolley of Woodford
19 February 2025, Stewart House
Operation Black Vote was founded in 1996 to leverage the power of the ‘Black vote’ in order to tackle racism and increase the number of Black and minority ethnic people in elected and prominent public roles. This was at a time when there were only seven MPs from ethnic minorities and British politics was seemingly deaf to the concerns of minority communities. Now, almost 30 years on, the percentage of ethnic minority MPs in the House of Commons more closely matches the population, and the UK has seen people from ethnic minorities occupy all four of the Great Offices of State.
In this For What Matters Lecture, Lord Woolley shares his thoughts on the challenges our society faces in terms of political engagement.
