Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the increase in (a) xenophobia and (b) hate crimes reported in relation to the covid-19 outbreak.

The Home Office are working closely with the National Police Chief’s Council to ensure that all police forces are providing reassurance to affected communities and encouraging hate crime reporting during the pandemic. The Government are also working with civil society partners to understand whether there are issues of underreporting at this time.

Government continues to work with communities around the country and the police to ensure people of all backgrounds have access to the latest information and are supported through this period.