Government rejects claims ‘systemic injustice’ is behind BAME Covid-19 deaths

The government has rejected claims that ‘systemic injustice’ is behind the disproportionate risk of dying from coronavirus faced by people from BAME backgrounds.

Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch said moves were underway to find out why the risks for some ethnic groups were higher than others – but insisted she wanted any government action to be driven by evidence.

She was speaking against the backdrop of continuing Black Lives Matter protests – as several thousand people turned out in central Birmingham today.

Our home affairs correspondent Darshna Soni reports.