LABOUR faces losing marginal seats in the May local elections as black voters have had “enough of having their concerns disregarded,” anti-racism campaigners have warned.

David Weaver, former government adviser and chair of Operation Black Vote, has warned the party’s plans to restrict juries has left it in “deep trouble” with black voters who say: “We don’t know what Labour stands for any more.”

He told the Guardian that Labour is at risk of being seen as “accepting the normalisation of racism” with a “moral panic” over migration and slow progress on tackling racial pay gaps and the Windrush scandal.

Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK national chair Zita Holbourne told the Morning Star that many formerly loyal black Labour voters have left the party since 2024.

“There have been far too many final straw reasons since they came to power,” she said.

“Those loyal black voters have had enough of having concerns disregarded. 

“We have seen a rise of far-right activity, seeking to divide communities and directly targeting black people and other people of colour plus migrants and no effective action to ensure safety for those targeted.

“Labour are slow to react to racism, anti-black racism is clearly not a priority as far as the party is concerned.”

A lack of progress on the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which proposes tackling pay gaps by making companies with more than 250 staff publish salary data, are among the issues putting black voters off Labour, while plans for judge-only trials “will disproportionately affect those who already face structural disadvantage,” she added.

“Judges, however conscientious, operate within an institutional culture shaped by daily exposure to police evidence and prosecution narratives.

“Juries, drawn from the community, provide a democratic counterweight.

“Retrospective removal of jury trials will deepen mistrust, increase perceptions of injustice, and in our view risks increasing discrimination in outcomes.”

To reverse the loss of support from black voters, Labour will have to show that it understands “throwaway comments and language matter” such as PM Sir Keir Starmer’s “‘strangers in their own countries’ comments,” she added.

“Tangible, genuine meaningful and urgent actions to address harms, disparities and trauma plus important actions which bring about race equality and equity must be prioritised.”