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An influencer is taking a charity that organises internships for black and minority ethnic people to court because they do not organise schemes for white people.

Sophie Corcoran, a GB News commentator, applied to a programme the 10,000 Interns Foundation was running with the Bar Council. She said she was “shocked to discover that the scheme is restricted to applicants of a particular racial background”.

The Guardian understands the internship charity has received a legal letter outlining Corcoran’s intent to sue, and on Wednesday responded. The suit is claiming that she has faced loss of employment opportunity as she is white, and discrimination under the basis of the Equality Act.

Corcoran said she had been “exploring a legal career” and therefore applied to the £14.80-an-hour internship scheme run by the 10,000 Interns Foundation programme and the Bar Council, but was rejected.

She said: “This case is not simply about my own experience. I am pursuing it because I believe that no person in Britain should be denied opportunities because of the colour of their skin. I believe strongly that equality before the law must apply to everyone. Through this case, I hope to challenge practices that discriminate on racial grounds and to reinforce the principle that fairness and equal treatment should apply to all.”

Corcoran’s challenge has been backed by the Restore Britain MP Rupert Lowe, who described the internship scheme as “vile, anti-white racism” and “racist filth”.

Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, has long campaigned against diversity and inclusion initiatives in the US, and has backed Lowe in the past, claiming Restore UK is “the only way to save Britain”. He has not commented on this specific case.

The American Bar Association faced a similar lawsuit over offering internships to candidates from “ethnic minority” or “underrepresented racial” groups, and as a result revised schemes to require applicants to show “a strong commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion”. Companies in the UK now believe that copycat cases could begin springing up.

The 10,000 Interns Foundation has been running since 2020, and placed its 10,000th intern last year. It was set up by the former international swimmer Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, the first black woman to swim for Great Britain.

It has placed paid interns with many prestigious organisations, including the Royal Academy of Arts, Bloomberg and HSBC. The NHS is taking 120 interns from the charity this summer.

Ajulu-Bushell told the Guardian: “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That belief has guided our work from the beginning and remains unchanged. We are confident in the lawfulness of our approach. The aim of our programmes, training and mentoring is simple: to widen access, not limit it.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved as an organisation in five short years, the lives we have changed and the workplaces that are thriving as a result. We believe that expanding opportunity, increasing representation, and enabling a broader range of talent to flourish is not only fair, but fundamental to the strength of our society and the long-term success of British businesses.”

The Bar Council has said the scheme is “lawful positive action under sections 158 and 159 of the Equality Act based on evidence of under-representation in relation to access to the profession”.

There is concern within the charity that this lawsuit could put its future at risk. After rightwing campaigns last year, some organisations pulled their support of the internship scheme. Experts said this legal case could cause wider damage to diversity and inclusion schemes.

Dr Shabna Begum, the chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a research organisation that seeks to challenge structural racism, said: “Attacks of this nature risk creating a chilling effect. Even when claims lack strong legal grounding, their visibility can deter organisations from pursuing EDI [equity, diversity and inclusion] initiatives for fear of reputational or legal consequences.

“And it is not just the individuals who lose out on internships that suffer. There is considerable evidence that EDI policies, when implemented thoughtfully and systemically, actually improve productivity, performance and financial returns for the organisations that undertake them.”

Other organisations told the Guardian they had amended their positive action internship schemes to avoid such legal action, by removing mention of ethnicity from the titles and limiting the length of internships.

Corcoran has been contacted for comment.