Rishi Sunak says ‘racism must be confronted’ after royal family row

Rishi Sunak has said racism must be confronted “whenever we see” following the race row engulfing Buckingham Palace.

Lady Susan, the Prince of Wales’s 83-year-old godmother, resigned from the household and apologised after she repeatedly asked a black campaigner where she “really came from”.

Ngozi Fulani, founder of the charity Sistah Space, expressed her shock at her treatment and described what she experienced as a “form of abuse”.

Mr Sunak said the job tackling racism is “never done” and revealed that he had “experienced racism in my life” when asked about the royal controversy on Thursday.

The prime minister told broadcasters that “some of the things that I experienced when I was a kid and a young person I don’t think would happen today because our country has made incredible progress in tackling racism.

“But the job is never done and that’s why when whenever we see it we must confront it,” Mr Sunak added.

The PM said it would not be right for him to comment directly on matters related to the royal family when asked if Buckingham Palace was institutionally racist.

He said: “It wouldn’t be right for me to comment on matters to do with the royal palace. As we’ve all seen, they’ve acknowledged what’s happened and made an apology for it.”

Prince William, who is on a US trip with the Princess of Wales, has backed the decision of his godmother to resign.

A Kensington Palace spokesman issued a statement saying: “Racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”

The charity boss at the centre of the latest royal racism row told The Independent that she felt her Rastafarian pride and attire was under attack at the palace event which saw her questioned by Lady Susan.

“When I’m going to certain places, I’m very proud of my culture and my background, so I will wear something authentic. I think maybe I stood out somehow,” Ms Fulani said.

“This doesn’t happen to other people, it doesn’t happen to people who are white. Nobody’s going to question their background, identity or their right to claim identity.”

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak also said it was “completely unacceptable” that Britons were having their lives disrupted by environmental protests after the home secretary Suella Braverman met with police chiefs to discuss the issue.

Ms Braverman and policing minister Chris Philp met with police chiefs to discuss tackling the “guerrilla tactics” used by Just Stop Oil protest groups, after No 10 said “more must be done” to stop disruptive demonstrations.

Mr Sunak said he had made it clear that police chiefs had his “full support in acting decisively to clamp down on illegal protests”, adding: “Those who break the law should feel the full force of it, and that’s what I am determined to deliver.”