The BBC and Britain’s “equality watchdog” say that Britain is way too racist to elect someone like Barack Obama.

A British equivalent of Barack Obama would find it extremely difficult to become prime minister, the head of the UK equality watchdog has said.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, told the Times the problem would not be voters but the political “machine”.

He claimed even someone of Mr Obama’s talent would struggle because the system was biased against change.

He said it was harder to reach the top for those who “did not fit the mould”.