THE Natural History Museum has appointed the first Muslim to its board of trustees, it was announced this week.
Harris Bokhari OBE is the first British-born Muslim trustee of a major British museum.
Bokhari, who is also a board member of the Princes’ Trust Mosaic Initiative and founder of the charities Patchwork Foundation and the Naz Legacy Foundation, expressed his delight at the announcement, but stressed that there could be more diversity in appointments across museum boards.
“These institutions play such an important role in helping our society connect with their heritage,” Bokhari said. “Having governance teams who reflect the realities of contemporary, diverse Britain will be an important step towards achieving that.”
Indian-origin professor Yadvinder Malhi has also been appointed on the board of trustees at the Natural History Museum.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden stressed the importance of encouraging people from all background to apply for public appointments.
“I was delighted to see Harris take up (this role),” he told Eastern Eye. “Our public bodies should represent society as a whole and the Government is determined to help make that happen”
Of the 98 trustees in the top six museums in the UK, only 10 are from a BAME background. This includes the newly-appointed Bokhari, Minouche Shafik (British Museum) and Farooq Chaudhry OBE (Tate).
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.