By: Sam Doak
November 30 2022
False: London, Manchester, and Birmingham are all ‘minority white’ cities.
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
This is not reflected in recently available census data.
Claim ID c79ff81e
Context
On November 29, the Office for National Statistics released the results of the 2021 census. The census is conducted every ten years in England and Wales and is intended to provide a detailed picture of the population, demographics, and other data.
Since the data was released, several figures have raised concerns about the changes in demographics they claim it demonstrates. Among these figures is Nigel Farage, who released a video of himself discussing the results. In this video, Farage states, "The Office for National Statistics figures are out today showing that London, Birmingham, and Manchester are all now minority white cities. Massive, massive demographic changes are taking place in our country."
In Fact
The census data does not reveal all three of these cities to be "minority white," as Farage claims. Taken together, the census results show that in the 33 areas that comprise London, 36.8 percent of respondents indicated that they were white British. This category includes people who identify as white English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British. However, this is not the full picture, as when all other white groups, including white Irish and those with roots in other countries, are included, white individuals accounted for 53.8 percent of respondents.
In Manchester, the picture is much the same. "White British" people comprised 48.7 percent of respondents, whereas all white groups together accounted for 56.8 percent. Logically also checked the figures for Greater Manchester to ensure there was no room for misunderstanding. We found that the census data showed "white British" people made up 76.3 percent of respondents in this area.
Out of the three cities mentioned by Farage, Birmingham was the only one in which white people comprised less than 50 percent of respondents to the census. In this case, "white British" people accounted for 42.9 percent of respondees in Birmingham, while all white groups made up 48.6 percent. In the Birmingham Metropolitan Area, which includes suburban areas and neighboring cities Coventry and Wolverhampton, "white British" people were found to comprise 55.9 percent of the population.
The Verdict
London and Manchester are only "minority white" if you exclude groups such as the white Irish from your definition of "white." Birmingham is the only city mentioned by Farage in which both British and other categories of white respondees were found to make up less than 50 percent of the population. In all three of these cities, "white British" remains the largest demographic group. This claim has therefore been marked as false.