Rishi Sunak says the job of tackling racism is 'never done' amid royal race row
Rishi Sunak has said the job of tackling racism is "never done" after a member of the Buckingham Palace household resigned amid a race row.
On Wednesday, a staff member - identified as Lady Susan Hussey - stepped away from her commitments to the Palace.
Her resignation followed accusations that she repeatedly asked a black woman, at a reception hosted by the Queen Consort, where she "really came from".
Asked how he felt when he heard about the row, and if those were sentiments he had experienced in his own life, the prime minister told broadcasters: "As I’ve talked about in the past, I have experienced racism in my life.
"But what I am pleased to say is 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 whenever we see it we must confront it."
Mr Sunak said it would not be right for him to comment on matters related to the royal household, after he was asked whether Buckingham Palace is institutionally racist.
"As we’ve all seen, they’ve acknowledged what’s happened and made an apology for it," he added.
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Ngozi Fulani - the chief executive of Sistah Space who made the accusations - has said Buckingham Palace has not contacted her about her experience on Tuesday, but added she would accept an invitation to discuss the incident with them.
She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "No. People keep saying the palace has reached out to me. Nobody has reached out to me."
Ms Fulani described the conversation with Lady Susan as a "violation" and said the experience at Camilla’s major engagement on violence against women will "never leave me".
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said "racism has no place in our society” and the comments made at the reception were "unacceptable".
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