Yvette Cooper has been urged to intervene to stop a “racist” block on white applicants becoming police officers. West Yorkshire Police has temporarily prevented white British candidates from applying for jobs as recruits to its police constable entry programmes in a bid to boost diversity.

But it has prompted a furious backlash from the Conservatives and Reform UK. Reform deputy leader Richard Tice told The Telegraph: “Once again we see another example of two-tier Britain.

“It’s disgraceful that West Yorkshire Police are treating white applicants as second-class citizens.

“The Home Secretary needs to urgently step in and put a stop to this. Reform UK are the only party promising to ban diversity, equality and inclusion and return the country to merit-based employment.”

Tory shadow policing minister Matt Vickers added: “This is outrageous. No employer, least of all a police force funded by taxpayers, should discriminate against applicants based on their race.

“You’d have thought the £1million a year they spend on diversity staff would prevent them from making this shameful blunder.

“The race-based social engineering which has blossomed under Labour has to stop. This is a stain on British policing and it must be reversed at once.”

Ms Cooper said police forces “need to make sure that they have proper, fair recruitment arrangements in place”.

She added: “Often, lots of organisations do encourage more applications from under-represented groups, but they also have to make sure that the actual decision making, the recruitment process is fair and is making sure that it’s about getting the best possible candidates into the sorts of jobs that they have.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “The most recent census found that 23% of people in West Yorkshire identified as being from an ethnic minority background. Our current police officer representation from ethnic minority backgrounds is around 9%. To address this under-representation, we use Positive Action under the Equality Act 2010.

“Our use of this was recently reviewed by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services in an Activism and Impartiality inspection, and no issues were identified.

“Positive Action allows people from under-represented groups who express an interest in joining the force to complete an application, which is then held on file until a recruitment window is opened.

“No interviews are held until the window is officially opened to all candidates.”