UK PM Johnson 'does not agree that Britain is a racist country,' says his spokesman

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not agree that Britain is a racist country, but is committed to continuing stamping out racism and discrimination, said his spokesman on Monday.

"The PM doesn't doubt that there continues to be discrimination and racism but would not agree that this is a racist country. We have made very significant progress on this issue but there remains more to do," the spokesman told reporters.

In response to anti-racism protesters in England pulling down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader Edward Colton in Bristol, the spokesman said the prime minister regards the removal of the statue as a criminal act.