Following riots in northern English industrial cities in 2001, there was considerable official debate about the utility of public policies in managing ethnic and racial diversity. The City of Leicester was identified as an example of best practice. Over the last two decades the city has been governed by the Labour Party, which claims to have transformed Leicester into a leading case of European civic multiculturalism. This paper critically evaluates the “Leicester Model” by focusing on political integration, community cohesion and the local economy. The real challenge of the Leicester Model, with reference to contemporary concerns with community cohesion, is that a multicultural city can function primarily through political and economic integration, however impartial or incomplete this might be.