MP Rachel Maclean was accused of ‘positive discrimination’ yesterday after saying she is ‘keen to hear’ from job applicants from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community.
The Redditch MP was lambasted by hundreds of Twitter users, nearly all of whom are white, when she announced she was hiring a policy case worker and would like BAME applicants to apply.
One user who replied to Mrs Maclean said: “Please choose your staff from whomsoever is the best person for the job, not specifically according to their race, skin colour, gender, sexuality, religion or any other classification which limits the applicants.”
Defending Mrs Maclean, primary school governor Nick Sankey said: “Many of these responses are shameful.
“The Conservative Party and country needs diversity.”
A member of Black Lives Matter Redditch said: “She didn’t state she would hire someone of a different racial background she just said she is interested.
“Yes all lives matter, but at the moment we have to focus on our black brothers and sisters by trying to build a stronger more loving community for everyone and we would like the town of Redditch to be ambassadors in stamping out racism.”
The 54-year-old politician also added that she would also like to hear from other groups such as people with non traditional backgrounds, career returners and care leavers.
Do you love politics and want a career at the heart of Westminster? I'm hiring for a policy caseworker and I'm especially keen to hear from applicants with non traditional diverse backgrounds, either BAME, career returners, care leavers, etc. https://t.co/OoPhzAkSrg
— Rachel Maclean MP #StayAlert (@redditchrachel) June 11, 2020
She said: “I’m especially interested in people who love politics but don’t have a traditional background of political connections, or formal qualifications, but want to learn and contribute to our great nation’s democracy.”
