More n-word racist slurs have been found in government documents as ministers face calls for a full-scale inquiry following an investigation by The Independent.
Officials outlining two separate immigration tribunal decisions about asylum seekers’ right to remain in the UK refer to the applicants’ ethnicity as ‘n*****d’.
In the first instance, the child, 17, who fled Somalia due to fear of persecution, was the centre of a hearing appeal after the Home Office decided he was not entitled to refugee status and should be removed from the UK.
“He is a member of the Tunni clan,” the official document reads, “(…) a N*****d group federated to the Tunni of Brava as vassals.”
Published in 2005, the online document was updated in 2013 however the slur remains live, raising questions about why this language has been used and unaddressed years later.
There’s also a second tribunal document, also dated 2005 and updated eight years later, that carries the same offensive word and similarly relates to a battle over a Somalian person’s right to remain in Britain.
“Physical appearance: (…) N*****d features, particularly the hair,” the paperwork reads.
The latest revelation comes after The Independent exposed a string of slurs referencing Black people being used in:
Following our reporting on the n-word scandal, the vice chair of the cross-party parliamentary group on race Kim Johnson MP has written to Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quinn demanding an investigation.
“It is utterly outrageous that such language is still being used in official Government documents,” her letter read.
Writing for The Independent, she added: “The recent discovery of the repeated use of the n* word in government documents and the royal collection has caused widespread outrage. Despite attempts to downplay this as nothing more than a few mistakes that have slipped through the net, it is clearly only the tip of the iceberg.
“Such language goes far beyond the offensive. It exposes the impact of generations of dehumanising government policies, used in decisions that have the potential to have a devastating impact on the lives of Black and minority ethnic people in this country.”
Ms Johnson demanded a “full and thorough review” of all government documents as she is “not confident” that all slurs have been removed from official papers.
She has also written to Caroline Noakes, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, asking her to raise the issue with the minister for women and equalities.
Today Ms Noakes wrote to Kemi Badenoch in her capacity about the matter, The Independent understands.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas also raised the issue in a letter to Mr Quinn who said he will be writing to permanent secretary colleagues to remind them of government guidance on writing about ethnicity, asking them to ensure that it is easily accessible to all employees within their department and associated organisations.
“We do not tolerate racist, homophobic, sexist or any similarly unacceptable language in any form, including in Government documents or on our webpages,” Mr Quinn’s response reads.
Offensive language uncovered in UK immigration tribunal paperwork raises questions about the links between the effects of government policies upon people from minoritised communities and the language used to describe them.
Numerous studies have shown that Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities fare worse within the UK’s immigration system.
