More damage will be done if Yorkshire does not publish a report on racism, says UK MP Kevin Brennan

[ad_1]

New

Politicians speak out on Azeem Rafiq’s complaint against the former club

Yorkshire’s reluctance to publish the report on allegations of institutional racism within the club has been called “unacceptable” by a prominent UK member of parliament Kevin Brennan, who warned Yorkshire that “by suppressing the findings of this report “, there is a danger that” more damage will be done to the game of cricket “.

“The failure of Yorkshire Cricket Club to make public the independent report on racism following complaints by former player Azeem Rafiq is unacceptable,” said Brennan, MP for Cardiff West and former Minister in the Labor government, in a press release sent to ESPNcricinfo. “It is only through openness and transparency that racism in sport will be eradicated and more harm will be done to the game of cricket and the club by suppressing the findings of this report than by making them public and following up the recommendations.”

While Brennan spoke explicitly in his capacity as a politician, it may be relevant that he is also a member of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS). The committee is responsible for scrutinizing the administration of various public bodies and may call upon individuals and organizations to explain their actions. They may also, in extreme cases, request information.

Brennan’s intervention follows that of Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, who retweeted the ESPNcricinfo article on the matter with the comment “I hope Yorkshire CCC will now publish this report without delay within the ‘interest in full transparency’.

The heightened interest of politicians in the issue offers an intriguing possibility of the future direction of this episode. British laws grant parliamentary privilege to Members of Parliament, which means comments made in the chamber are immune from defamation proceedings. As a result, it is possible that the people mentioned in the report will be appointed to parliament if Yorkshire continues to delay publication of the report.

The Yorkshire CCC says the legal advice they have received informs them that sharing the report – which contains accusations against a number of individuals as well as organizations – could open them to libel suits. But while their reluctance to release the report without any redaction may be understandable, their reluctance to share the report with the PCA (the players’ union) or the ECB has disappointed many in the English cricket administration.

The ECB, as official regulators of the game, is particularly keen to see it allowed to see it.

George Dobell is Senior Correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

[ad_2]