BRADFORD'S Race Equality Network (REN) has responded to the "landmark" report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

It found that Britain is no longer a country where the “system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”.

The Commission said geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion all impact life chances more than racism, in a report commissioned in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

It also criticised the “confusing” way the term “institutional racism” has been applied, saying this should only be used when deep-seated, systemic racism is proved and not as a “catch-all” phrase for any microaggression.

REN said while the report acknowledges racism and injustice do still exist, it has caused deep concern and criticism amongst many equality-focused organisations.

In a statement, the Board said: "Anti-racism and the fight for equality is at the core of the work that the Race Equality Network carries out.

"REN believes that the UK is an open and tolerant country respecting different cultural traditions and has welcomed migrants and provided them with opportunities to secure better standards of living.

"However, the existence of institutional and structural racism is evident in many aspects of UK society which negatively impacts on the inequalities faced by BAME communities and cannot be ignored if we are to create a fairer, more equal society where everyone can realise their full potential."

They said inequalities have been "particularly obvious" this year and they do not feel the findings of the report "properly and fully reflect the lived experiences of communities across the UK".

"REN seeks to articulate the racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, bigotry and xenophobia experienced by our communities, and to highlight the actual barriers these communities face when attempting to secure equal access to services and equitable outcomes. This will form the subject of research by REN in the coming months," they said.

Chair of REN, Yusuf Karolia, said: “REN was looking forward to the findings of the report and acknowledges and agrees with some of its content particularly its recommendations.

"However, we are disappointed that the Commission has missed a once in a lifetime opportunity to highlight the very real institutional racism which continues to exist within our society and it is surprising that the Commission found absolutely no evidence of such institutional racism.

"This risks undermining some of the positive work some of our institutions and public bodies such as the Police have done and continue to do to address structural racism. It also undermines the vast amount of evidence gathering and research carried out by countless bodies which shows that there is still more work to do before our institutions are free from racism.

"REN is happy to work with all partners and the government to address the inequalities which exist in our communities.”

During a visit to Middlesbrough on Thursday, the Prime Minister called the review a “very interesting piece of work” but admitted more needed to be done to address racism.

“I don’t say the Government is going to agree with absolutely everything in it, but it has some original and stimulating work in it that I think people need to read and to consider,” Mr Johnson said.

“There are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address.

“We’ve got to do more to fix it, we need to understand the severity of the problem, and we’re going to be looking at all the ideas that they have put forward, and we’ll be making our response.”

Mr Johnson defended the commissioners for coming forward “with about 24 interesting ideas to promote equality” and said ministers would respond to the findings “in due course”.