House of Commons · Westminster Hall
20 October 2020 · 4 other contributors · 3,442 words
Opened by Gerald Jones Lab Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare
Responding minister: Nigel Huddleston
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Gerald Jones raised concerns about historical discrimination in boxing — [mr clive betts in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
I ask the Minister to make the case to the British Boxing Board of Control for a formal apology and recognition for Cuthbert Taylor, ensuring that he is recognised for his ability in the ring, not just the colour of his skin.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Cuthbert Taylor was a notable boxer from Merthyr Tydfil who had over 500 bouts between 1928 and 1947, winning the flyweight championship title in 1927. Despite his success, he never received national or international recognition due to the British Boxing Board of Control's colour bar rule, which prevented boxers with non-white parents from competing for professional titles. This rule robbed Taylor of deserved recognition and success at a professional level.
Alex Davies-Jones congratulated her hon. Friend on securing the debate and stressed that discrimination is a systemic problem across various sports, advocating for leadership from the top to tackle such issues.
She congratulated the 'One Team – One Race' project for immortalising Wales's greatest rugby players through permanent artwork, celebrating multiculturalism in sport.
Jim Shannon congratulated the hon. Gentleman on raising the issue and highlighted how sport, particularly boxing in Northern Ireland, unites people of different religions.
Nick Smith mentioned Roy Francis, a black professional rugby league coach from Brynmawr who was not selected for the Great Britain tour in 1946 due to his skin colour, describing it as a disgrace. He requested that the Minister support Gerald Jones's borough's boxing record and write to the British Boxing Board of Control on behalf of Cuthbert Taylor, urging them to address historical injustices.
Government Response
Nigel HuddlestonIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I thank the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney for securing this important debate. The minister acknowledges that stories like Cuthbert Taylor's shine a light on the rich social history of boxing and highlights the jarring reality of discrimination in sports during the first part of the 20th century, where non-white boxers were barred from competing for British titles due to the colour of their skin. He notes the progression since then, including Dick Turpin becoming Britain's first black boxing champion in 1948 and the current diversity within British boxing today. The minister highlights investments made by Sport England and UK Sport in community boxing clubs and elite boxers respectively. He also mentions that governing bodies are conducting reviews to increase diversity at all levels, with initiatives such as additional training for coaches and support staff and anti-racism workshops. The Government have also called for a review of the code of sports governance to strengthen equality, diversity, and inclusion standards. Additionally, UK Sports Councils are working together to review racial inequalities in sport by bringing together existing data on race and ethnicity in sport to identify gaps and make recommendations. The aim is to keep pushing for greater inclusion and diversity in sport and to stamp out racism.