A Labour council has reportedly asked workers to carry out a "privilege test" in its bid to stamp out unconscious bias against ethnic minorities. Westminster City Council managers and staff have to complete training to address assumptions about non-white British communities as part of the local authority's aim to increase the number of employees matching the London borough's population, according to the Telegraph.

The publication reports that "insiders" have said they are offered a virtual "privilege walk", where staff are encouraged to reflect on any social advantages they have via an online quiz. They can check how privileged they are by responding to prompts including whether they were read to by their parents when they were children.

Other prompts include responding true or false to whether English is their first language, if they drive a new car, have been stopped and searched by the police, have a designer handbag or if they are a white male, according to an apparent copy of the test published by the Telegraph. Westminster City Council, however, said the test is from a PowerPoint presentation which isn't part of its training or recruitment process.

The Telegraph cites documents as also reportedly showing managers who fail to shortlist people from non-white ethnic groups have to contact council chief executive Stuart Love to discuss their decision-making.

Mr Love previously told Management Today he is proud to be described as "too woke" in an interview in which he explained how his childhood under apartheid South Africa has shaped him as a leader.

He told the publication: "We should all be woke, but particularly in local government where we are delivering services to communities."

The council supremo added: "I lean into this term (woke) because it’s been hijacked and weaponised. I am quite happy to be accused of being socially aware of injustice."

Neil O'Brien, Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, accused the council of drifting from recruitment based on merit, which the council denied.

He posted on X: "They have drifted so far from meritocracy and fairness it is incredible.

"These racist hiring policies are arbitrary & intellectually incoherent, and the polar opposite of the vision set out by reformers like Martin Luther King."

A council spokesman said: "Westminster city council’s recruitment policies are industry standard, entirely consistent with UK employment law and have been in place for a number of years.

"In keeping with many public sector and private companies, we are committed to ensuring all candidates can compete for a range of roles and we actively promote ourselves as an inclusive employer.

"This PowerPoint presentation, which we believe was available on the council’s staff intranet from 2021, does not form any part of our formal policy, training or recruitment process."