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

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).

“I’m not certain I've seen evidence to support that,” replied the former prime minister.

The government’s own assessment found Black and Brown people were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. This was in part because they were more likely to be working in frontline jobs and living in cramped conditions, with higher levels of deprivation and worse health.

BAME people were also more likely to work in settings lacking Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), according to a survey by the British Medical Association. The inquiry has also heard that far less PPE was stockpiled for Black healthcare workers.

The first 10 doctors to die of Covid-19 all belonged to ethnic minorities.

“What we did was to try to make sure that everybody had the best possible protection, and to do whatever we could to stop infection of those particularly Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups who were in the frontline of the fight against Covid,” said Johnson.

Asked about a Public Health England report from June 2020 on “Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups,” Johnson blustered, mentioning his drive to recruit 50,000 nurses, which failed to come to fruition by the end of his premiership.

“If you’re a nurse or a frontline worker, then clearly one of the best ways to mitigate the risk that you face and the disproportionate risk that you face Black, Asian and ethnic minority frontline care workers is having an extra pair of hands to help you,” he claimed.

It is not clear if having more nurses would have led to fewer Covid deaths.

The first module of the inquiry, on how prepared the UK was for the pandemic, found that no emergency planning documents contained mention of structural racism and almost none made mention of health inequalities.

Earlier today, the inquiry heard how Johnson was unaware scientists were not consulted on his own government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

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