The phrase “black market” should not be used because it is racist, banking leaders have said.

UK Finance, a lobby group that represents the interests of Britain’s banks and those in financial services, issued guidance banning language it says is “non-inclusive”.

The guidance suggests replacing “black market” with “illegal market” to avoid racial bias or discrimination.

The cyber security term “black hat”, which refers to an unauthorised user on a network, should be replaced with “unethical”, it adds, while “sanity check” should be replaced by “functional test” in order not to “infer a level of disability”.

David Postings, the chief executive of UK Finance, said the body takes linguistic issues in society “extremely seriously”

But Nigel Mills, a Tory MP, called the guidance – which was issued in 2021 – “woke nonsense”, adding: “You’d think bank bosses would have their focus on the country’s economy rather than this.” 

‘Gender biased’

The phrase “man in the middle” which indicates a cyber attack, was also thought to be gender biased, to be replaced with “network interception”, says the guidance. 

A cyber attack check to see how secure a network is, known as “penetration testing”, should now be called “ethical hacking” or “blue testing”.

A spokesman for UK Finance said: “Two years ago, we issued a report in conjunction with EY and Microsoft that looked at the issue of language in technology and cyber security.”

It comes after a charity advised doctors to refer to a vagina as a “bonus hole” to avoid upsetting transgender men.

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust said “bonus hole” and “front hole” were acceptable alternatives to vagina, a word that could “cause someone to feel hurt or distressed”.

Oxfam also published an inclusive language guide which cautioned staff against using the terms “mother” and “father”.

And in April a judge in North Wales, Mr Justice Eyre, asked jurors whether addressing them as “ladies and gentlemen” was acceptable for fear it may have been too “traditional, offensive or exclusive”. By Alex Barton, The Telegraph