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Johnson denies ‘racism’ contributed to deaths of ethnic minority NHS staff

Ex-PM struggled to answer Covid inquiry’s questions on disproportionate number of deaths in minority ethnic groups

By Ruby Lott-Lavigna
Johnson denies ‘racism’ contributed to deaths of ethnic minority NHS staff
Boris Johnson said ‘structural racism’ did not contribute to the disproportionate number of Covid-related deaths among minority groups | Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
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Boris Johnson has denied that “structural racism” contributed to the disproportionate number of people of colour – particularly those working in the NHS – who died of Covid.

Providing evidence at the Covid inquiry for a second day, Johnson was visibly flustered as he attempted to answer questions about the impact of coronavirus on Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME).

“Can we agree that part of the disproportionate impact on the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities includes healthcare workers?” asked Leslie Thomas, a lawyer representing the Federation of Ethnic Minority Healthcare Workers (FEMHO).

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