The fight here ends with me: Stephen Lawrence’s brother urges action over racism

The brother of Stephen Lawrence has said the “fight” against racism in the UK should end with the current generation and that “we’ve got to stop the lip service”.

Speaking as part of an ITV panel discussing racism in the UK since the death of his brother in 1993, Stuart Lawrence said action was needed to make change happen.

His brother Stephen was murdered in a racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Well Hall Road, Eltham, south-east London.

Stuart added: "This fight here ends with me, with the adults in this room and how we can make sure change really happens.

“We’ve got to stop the lip service, we’ve got to put things into action, we’ve got to start changing policies and laws.”

A poll for the ITV programme, Stephen Lawrence: Has Britain Changed?, found:

• 77% of black people said they had experienced racial abuse in person

• 80% of black people had been asked “where they are really from"

Former England and Liverpool footballer John Barnes, who was also part of the panel, said:

Barnes added: “We’re trying to get black people in positions of power and saying we have now advanced, but how do we view the average black man in Brixton? That’s what we have to change.”

Also discussed was the effect the Black Lives Matter movement has had on changing attitudes to racism.

Asked about some protesters’ calls to defund the police, London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey said: