White male civil servant sues the Government for race discrimination

A white male civil servant is suing the Government for race discrimination after learning a black female colleague was paid almost £52,000 more to do the same job.

Matthew Parr was appointed as one of only five HM Inspectors of Constabulary in 2016 on a £133,893 per year salary.

But he has since launched a sex and race discrimination case after he discovered that fellow inspector Wendy Williams, who is black, was hired on £185,791 just 15 months before.

Mr Parr claims that the Home Office has treated him differently because he is a white male, according to an Employment Tribunal in London.

'I have been a public servant for more than 35 years and have, until now, worked in organisations determined to treat people equitably.

'It is fundamentally unfair to pay people wildly different amounts for doing what is, by any measure, identical work.'

The Government has denied sex and race discrimination.

It has instead argued that Mr Parr was the first to be appointed under a new pay structure as part of a drive to reduce salaries for senior staff.

The tribunal is expected to return its final decision within the coming weeks.