A GB News commentator is suing a charity that organises internships for black and ethnic minorities because they do not organise schemes for white people.

Sophie Corcoran, 24, said she applied to the 10,000 Interns Foundation programme, run in conjunction with the Bar Council, in October while she was 'exploring a legal career'.

She said the £14.80-an-hour scheme had six-week placements with legal organisations and 'appeared to be a valuable opportunity to gain practical experience'.

But after her application was acknowledged, she had no further contact and claimed: 'I believe it is because of my race.'

Her online crowdfunding appeal has a target of £50,000 to cover estimated legal costs but the total so far is only £3,000.

Miss Corcoran said: 'My biggest issue with the black interns scheme is that it's not about serving 'disadvantaged groups', it's targeted purely based on skin colour.

'You could be disabled…from a single-parent family, or have gone to a failing school. But to them, none of that disadvantage exists if you are white.

'You can only be disadvantaged if you are black.

'There is nothing unfair about letting hard work, talent, and merit dictate success. Your race should have nothing to do with it.'

Her legal suit claims she has faced loss of employment opportunity as she is white, and discrimination under the Equality Act.

The 10,000 Interns Foundation, a charity formed in 2020, places candidates with organisations such as the Royal Academy of Arts, Bloomberg and HSBC.

It said the 10,000 Black Interns scheme 'exists to expand access to opportunity for underrepresented talent, supporting them toward careers that have historically been out of reach for many.'

A spokesman added: 'Each year we collect data from our partners and evaluate the evidence of underrepresentation across different sectors. 

'We are confident in the legal basis of our work, which is grounded in the Equality Act and reflects established principles of lawful, proportionate positive action.

'As a small charity, our priority is to create access to opportunities, deliver training and mentoring to young people, support their workplace progression through our alumni programme, and use our data and insight to help shape a more inclusive world of work with our partners.

'We remain committed to ensuring that talent, not background, determines access to opportunity.'

It's Chief Executive, Rebecca Ajulu-Bushell, said: 'Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That belief has guided our work from the beginning and remains unchanged.

'Our programmes sit alongside many other routes into the world of work and are designed to ensure that young people who remain underrepresented, have a fair and equal chance to access and succeed in the workplace.

'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, governing body for 18,000 barristers, confirmed it had been 'served with a claim relating to the programme' and will 'vigorously' contest it.