Experts named in race review weren’t consulted

Latest updates and essential advice from The Independent [View in browser]( [Alternate text] Daily briefing April 02, 2021 Today’s essential news from the source you trust This morning’s headlines Two experts named as “stakeholders” in a landmark report into race disparities in Britain [have hit out at claims they provided evidence](, with one protesting: “I was never consulted.” It comes as the government faces a backlash over the findings of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which concluded that the UK was no longer a country where the “system is deliberately rigged” against ethnic minorities. On Thursday, Baroness Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, accused the commission of “giving the green light to racists” while Boris Johnson’s most senior black adviser, Samuel Kasumu, quit after questioning the government’s approach to race. A police officer has been [convicted of being a member of a neo-Nazi terrorist group](, three years after he was allowed to join the Metropolitan Police. Benjamin Hannam became involved with National Action in 2016 and continued activities with a successor group after it was banned in December that year. The 22-year-old is believed to be the first British police officer ever to be convicted of a terror offence. He was found guilty of membership of a terrorist organisation following a trial that was subject to blanket reporting restrictions and also admitted possessing a prohibited image of a child. Hannam, who denied that he had ever been a member of National Action, was found guilty of two counts of fraud for lying on police application and vetting forms. Police chiefs have warned that [enforcing new lockdown rules may be “almost impossible” ahead of a long Easter weekend]( that is likely to see people across the country meeting outdoors, despite an end to the recent sunny spring weather. The easing of tight lockdown restrictions after three months led to vast crowds gathering together on beaches and in parks across England this week, drawn out by the new freedoms and balmy temperatures not seen in the month of March for 53 years. In Nottingham, repeated mass gatherings by a “thoughtless minority” forced local authorities to close two parks on Wednesday, after footage shared online of the hundreds-strong crowd was labelled “frightening” and a “frenzy” by the city council leader, with workers left to clear mounds of rubbish. . We need your support The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider showing your support with a contribution. [Contribute]( . Top stories [At least 34 dead as Taiwan train derails inside tunnel]( [Government facing threat of legal action over PPE links to slavery]( [Man convicted of murdering and dismembering woman in Exeter]( . Sign up to our free newsletters Subscribe to a wide range of free newsletters for exclusive news and features from our specialist reporters across the world . Stories chosen for you - [British ex-pats ordered back on plane at Spanish airport over Brexit rules]( - [Brexit reality beginning to hit, Boris Johnson warned – your daily politics briefing]( - [Like Brexit, Covid has turned both the EU and the UK into losers]( - [Editorial: Britain’s future race relations are in bad shape]( - [The government should have taken action on school rape culture years ago | Cathy Newman]( . News you can trust The Independent has a 100% NewsGuard trust rating [NewsGuard] [Find out more]( . If you can spare two minutes we’d love to hear your [feedback]( on our newsletters [Alternate text] Join the conversation or follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.