Commenting on a letter sent by the Commission to the organisers of the Jhalak Prize, for book of the year by a British or British resident Black or minority ethnic writer, a Commission spokesperson said:
As the UK’s independent equality regulator, the Commission has a duty to consider complaints by individuals about potential breaches of the Equality Act 2010.
Following a complaint from Philip Davies MP about the Jhalak Prize being open only to writers of colour, we wrote a letter to establish the purpose and proportionality of the Jhalak Prize.
The letter did not suggest that any unlawful act had occurred and the response provided the clarification we needed that the prize constitutes lawful positive action. Furthermore, this award is the type of action which the Commission supports and recommends.
