Women make up only one third of the House of Commons, just 63 MPs are BAME only 5 have a self-declared disability.
Yet Black men and women are four times more likely to die from the virus than their white counterparts; more than half of all coronavirus deaths involved a disabled person and women in the workforce are seen to do more low paid work and in more exposed, consumer facing roles than men.
The ‘Data Drives Diversity’ report demonstrates that by taking a simple step the government could level up politics.
By mandating political parties to be more open about the diversity of candidates applying to represent them at constituency level the government could ensure those hardest hit by the virus get representatives chosen from a broader range of society that better understands their needs.
