THE CITY council has denied it is telling schools to teach white privilege or inherited racial guilt to children.

Brighton and Hove City Council was accused of taking an illegal approach to education after adopting a five-year "anti-racist schools strategies" based on critical race theory.

Critical race theory argues that racism is not only a problem of prejudices held by individuals but is also embedded within our laws and government institutions.

Campaigners and GB News anchor Andrew Neil questioned whether the approach may be illegal, based on a statement from the government's Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch.

Last autumn, she said: "We do not want to see teachers teaching their pupils about white privilege and inherited racial guilt.

“Any school which teaches these elements of critical race theory, or which promotes partisan political views such as defunding the police without offering a balanced treatment of opposing views, is breaking the law.”

When contacted, the council said there is nothing in its current guidance or resources that is against the law, nor are there recommendations to teach white privilege or inherited racial guilt.

The council was asked under a Freedom of Information request from Brighton community activist Adrian Hart to show the curriculum. It refused the request citing commercial reasons.

A council spokesman said: “We are proud to be working with schools in the city, as well as community groups to develop an anti-racist schools’ strategy.

"This is part of wider work the council is developing with partners and residents to address racial discrimination, disadvantage and value equality and diversity in our city.

“There is nothing in the current guidance or resources we have shared with schools that contradicts the law or recommends to schools that they teach white privilege or inherited racial guilt to pupils and students, and critical thinking is key to our educational output.

“Schools within Brighton and Hove make their own decisions about what to teach in the curriculum in line with the statutory National Curriculum; and we have not made anything ‘mandatory.’

"We thank all of our schools and fantastic staff who are showing leadership and commitment towards work that promotes equality and celebrates diversity.”

The council found itself in the firing line of GB News over the decision to teach critical race theory in the city's schools.

Under a segment titled "woke watch", host Andrew Neil said: "For Brighton, anti-racism is not as wholesome as it sounds.

"It's an off-shoot of something much more controversial called critical race theory, an ideologically driven academic discipline imported by the United States, where else?

"On the surface, it looks designed to combat racism, but critics argue that it exacerbates racial tensions.

"Critical race theory invites people to treat each other first and foremost through the prism of race and to divide society into classes of oppressor and oppressed according to skin colour."

Green councillor Hannah Clare, who chairs the council’s children, young people and skills committee, previously said: “Critical race theory is our lens for developing our understanding of the complexities of racism – and not an ideology.

“There is nothing in our strategy that aims to engender guilt or victimhood – and the development of critical thinking skills is one element of our educational output.”