EMILY Maitlis has hit out at “misleading” claims about coronavirus trumpeted by UK Government ministers.

In her Newsnight introduction, the BBC presenter dismisses the notion Covid-19 affects everyone equally, pointing out that the crisis is far more severe for disadvantaged people.

She also condemns some of the language around the pandemic as “trite and misleading”.

The host states: “You do not survive the illness through fortitude and strength of character, whatever the Prime Minister’s colleagues will tell us.

“And the disease is not a great leveller, the consequences of which everyone – rich or poor – suffers the same.”

She adds: “They tell us coronavirus is a great leveller. It’s not. It’s much, much harder if you’re poor. How do we stop it making social inequality even greater?”

The BBC presenter seemed to reference comments made by Tory ministers about the Prime Minister after he was admitted to intensive care.

She said it was a “myth” to claim a person’s character dictates their body’s response to the infection.

It comes after Dominic Raab said of the PM: "I'm confident he'll pull through, because if there's one thing I know about this prime minister, he's a fighter.”

READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Dominic Raab lacks authority and authenticity – leaders need both

Watch Maitlis’s full statement below.

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