Labour Research September 2004

Law Matters

Labour Party found guilty of race discrimination

The Labour Party's failure to select a Pakistani Muslim as a candidate for election to Birmingham City Council in 1998 was discrimination on racial grounds.

The EAT found that Raghib Ahsan's racial origins and his association with other Pakistani Muslims were influential in the party's decision not to reselect him as a candidate.

It confirmed that, because Ahsan's race had a "significant influence" on the outcome of the selection procedure, this was enough to establish that less favourable treatment had taken place - it did not have to be the only, or even the main, reason for the party's actions.

Carter v Raghib Ahsan UKEAT/0907/03