Diversity in the European Parliament

10.38.45am GMT Wed 14th Feb 2007

Colin Ross at the European Parliament

I was shocked to read a report in the Guardian this morning which told me that only 9 of the 785 Members of the European Parliament are non-white (and an additional 6 that are white but of Turkish or Kurdish descent).

The only vaguely cheering news is that the UK leads the way although with a pitiful 5 non-white MEPs out of 78. Twenty-one of the EU countries have no non-white MEPS at all.