LONDON — Senior cross-party British members of parliament are pushing for significant changes to official census categories, arguing that citizens should be able to identify as both Black and English or Asian and English.
Expanding Ethnicity Choices Beyond the ‘White’ Category
Currently, official census classifications restrict the ethnic descriptor “English” strictly within the “White” category. The new bipartisan proposal seeks to broaden these options to reflect a more inclusive view of national identity, challenging the traditional constraints on how ethnic minority Britons can define their heritage.
The cross-party initiative emerges in direct response to statements from Reform UK politicians, who have publicly argued that individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds cannot claim an English ethnic identity. Lawmakers supporting the expansion of the census argue that official data collection must evolve to mirror modern, multi-ethnic British society accurately.
