When asked if he thought racism still exists in Britain, award-winning UK rapper Stomzy (very reasonably) expressed that he ‘definitely, 100%’ felt that it still does.

Media outlets damagingly ran with misquotes of the interview and widespread criticism of Stormzy’s comments exploded as public figures and academics (mostly white) denied the UK was racist at all, while ironically tweeting comments filled with racist tropes, patronizingly demanding Stormzy show gratitude to the welfare system he was apparently able to access.

Chancellor of the exchequer (and former home secretary) Sajid Javid eventually joined them, sarcastically commenting ‘100% wrong’. He then circulated an image of a map produced from the 2019 Eurobarometer on discrimination results, indicating which countries are the most racially tolerant globally and placing the UK among the most tolerant.

Because of course, we can be absolutely sure that everyone surveyed would’ve been completely comfortable admitting to any racist views they held. Meanwhile, the lived experiences of brown and black individuals counts for nothing.

I’m of Jamaican and Indian heritage, and have always been deeply offended by the anti-black racism that so casually exists within the UK, as well as in some factions of the South Asian community.

It isn’t uncommon for me to come across other South Asians who silently or overtly have an issue with my father being Jamaican, or who deny that I am of Indian heritage at all, because they disapprove of my Indian mother being married to my black father.

Walking into an Indian restaurant with my younger sister and parents as a teenager and receiving pointed, deliberate, disapproving stares from every corner, is something I’ll never forget.

The appointment of both Sajid Javid and Priti Patel was hailed by some as a great step forward for representation of South Asian individuals, but I can’t see myself in either of them, and find those that proudly do quite horrifying.

To see two people of colour aggressively implement and support anti-immigration policy, and play a part in the wrongful deportation of part of the Windrush generation was hard to come to terms with.

Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, Javid concluded his twitter commentary by praising the UK for electing its ‘most diverse parliament ever with 1 in 10 MPs from an ethnic minority’. But using the diversity of the current UK cabinet as a measuring tool to indicate that Britain is no longer racist completely misses the point.

Communities of colour are not a monolith – black and Asian communities face different levels of discrimination. Therefore the advancement of one minority – within politics or otherwise – does not automatically equal the advancement of all.

Similarly, the appointment of ethnic minorities to senior positions doesn’t automatically equate to racism being dismantled – especially when they use their influence to reaffirm racist ideals, something Javid is overwhelmingly guilty of.

As someone of Pakistani origin, using his platform to discredit a black public figure – implying that Stormzy’s experience of racism is somehow incorrect – points towards the anti-black superiority complex that is unnervingly prevalent, even within other communities of colour that experience racism too.

In also supporting Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has brashly made profoundly anti-black and Islamophobic comments, Javid is complicit in the harm and trauma experienced in these communities, one of which is his own.

His support of increased stop and search police powers that disproportionately target young black men highlights his willingness to uphold and facilitate institutionalised racism.

Last but certainly not least, stripping Shamima Begum of her citizenship after she joined ISIS at 15 suggests that even being born in the UK doesn’t protect people of colour from losing their right to exist in it. Her crimes were significant, yes, but others who joined ISIS were quietly allowed to return to the UK.

It’s not just deeply hypocritical. Reinforcing the ominous racist sentiment that exists in the UK, while simultaneously pretending racism is a non-issue, is a gross betrayal that only furthers white supremacist ideals.

Ethnic minorities in positions of power and influence should be addressing the nuances within racism and how some communities are disproportionately affected.

Using their ethnic minority status as a token that glosses over the deep racial issues that still exist within the UK – as well as within his own party, in Javid’s case – trivialises the issue.

Racism isn’t over in the UK because our prime minister has appointed ethnic minorities to his cabinet to do his bidding for him.

If Javid can’t stand with the most vulnerable members of his own community, and other minority communities, then his position only serves to uphold a system that is destroying us.

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