The government has been accused in the House of Commons of using a “racist policy” to drive black people back to work during the coronavirus outbreak.
The SNP’s Alison Thewliss made the allegation as MPs debated the recent report on the causes behind the higher rate of Covid-19 deaths among black and minority ethnic (Bame) communities.
But equalities minister Kemi Badenoch accused her of “confected outrage” and declared that Britain is “one of the best countries in the world to be a black person”.
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Ms Thewliss told the Commons that Bame people were being denied the chance to stay home to protect their health during the pandemic because of the government’s “no recourse to public funds” policy, which bars many migrants from receiving welfare benefits.
Boris Johnson last week agreed to “look at” the rule after apparently being unaware of it during a grilling by MPs, but made clear at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that he was not planning to reform it.
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1/30 Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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2/30 Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
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3/30 NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
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4/30 Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
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5/30 Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
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6/30 Salford Royal HospitalGetty
7/30 Salford Royal HospitalPA
8/30 Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
AP
9/30 A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
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10/30 A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
Getty
11/30 Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
PA
12/30 Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
13/30 University College Hospital, LondonHospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
AP
14/30 Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
AP
15/30 Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
Getty
16/30 LondonAn NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Reuters
17/30 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in LondonAFP via Getty
18/30 Belfast, Northern IrelandNHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
Reuters
19/30 PlymouthNHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
Getty
20/30 NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
Getty
21/30 Mater Infirmorum HospitalPeople applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
Reuters
22/30 Waterloo Station, LondonAP
23/30 Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
PA
24/30 A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
25/30 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
26/30 Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
PA
27/30 LondonPolice officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
Reuters
28/30 A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
29/30 Royal Derby HospitalPA
30/30 Leicester,NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
Getty
1/30 Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
2/30 Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
PA
3/30 NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
4/30 Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
Getty
5/30 Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
PA
6/30 Salford Royal HospitalGetty
7/30 Salford Royal HospitalPA
8/30 Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
AP
9/30 A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
Getty
10/30 A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
Getty
11/30 Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
PA
12/30 Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
13/30 University College Hospital, LondonHospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
AP
14/30 Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
AP
15/30 Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
Getty
16/30 LondonAn NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Reuters
17/30 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in LondonAFP via Getty
18/30 Belfast, Northern IrelandNHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
Reuters
19/30 PlymouthNHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
Getty
20/30 NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
Getty
21/30 Mater Infirmorum HospitalPeople applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
Reuters
22/30 Waterloo Station, LondonAP
23/30 Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
PA
24/30 A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
25/30 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
26/30 Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
PA
27/30 LondonPolice officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
Reuters
28/30 A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
29/30 Royal Derby HospitalPA
30/30 Leicester,NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
Getty
Ms Thewliss told the Commons: “It is one thing to say ‘black lives matter’, but quite another to force black people and people from Bame backgrounds out to work because they have no choice whether they go to work because they have no recourse to public funds.
“No recourse to public funds is a racist policy. Will she abolish it?”
Ms Badenoch – who is herself of Nigerian background, but was born in the UK – retorted: “It is wrong to conflate all black people with recent migrants… I’m a black woman who is out at work.”
To an angry response from the opposition benches, she accused the SNP MP of inflaming racial tensions for the sake of publicity.
“It is wrong to conflate different issues and merge them into one just so you can get traction in the press,” said Ms Badenoch.
“It’s not right for us to use confected outrage. We need courage to say the right things and we need to be courageous to calm down racial tensions, not enflame them just so we have something to put on social media.”
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk