It comes as the Tories attempt to broaden their appeal and seize the political centre ground, while Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party veers to the Left.
The review will be the first of a series of announcements on government action to tackle prejudice against ethnic minorities and spread equal opportunities.
At present, people from black and ethnic minority groups make up over a quarter of prisoners in England and Wales, but only 14 per cent of the wider population.
Figures also show that 61 per cent of offenders from black and ethnic minority backgrounds receive jail sentences, compared to 56 per cent of white offenders.
I am very pleased to accept the Prime Minister's invitation
David Lammy
Mr Cameron said: “If you’re black, you’re more likely to be in a prison cell than studying at a top university. And if you’re black, it seems you’re more likely to be sentenced to custody for a crime than if you’re white. We should investigate why this is and how we can end this possible discrimination.”
Mr Lammy said addressing the high numbers of black offenders in prison was a matter of “urgency”.
“I've been working in this area for almost two decades and am very pleased to accept the Prime Minister's invitation to lead this comprehensive, independent review across our criminal justice system,” he said.
Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/579309/s/4d3ec5b6/sc/13/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cpolitics0C121319280CLabours0EDavid0ELammy0Eto0Elead0Egovernment0Erace0Ereview0Bhtml/story01.htm
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