BRITAIN'S high coronavirus death rate is not the Government's fault but because the "majority of people are obese", a Tory Lord has claimed.

Lord McColl of Dulwich also told peers it is "despicable" to blame those in power in Westminster for the pandemic's death toll.

He claimed the reason for the mortality rate was because of obesity levels, population density and the country's status as a travel hub.

Lord McColl told a debate on coronavirus regulations: "As a doctor, I am very, very concerned about preventative medicine.

"What was clear about the pandemic early on was that the majority of those afflicted had many medical conditions that made them much more vulnerable to Covid.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: 'I can't remember the last time Boris spoke to me'

"Obesity and Covid is a very dangerous combination and the reason for this is obesity impairs the immune system.

"The reason the high mortality in the UK is because the majority of people are obese, and the population is the densest in Europe and moreover is the travel hub of Europe.

"Blaming the Government for the high mortality is therefore one of the most despicable allegations I've heard in this pandemic."

The UK death toll is more than 41,700, with separate figures published by the statistics agencies showing 57,500 cases where Covid-19 was mentioned on a death certificate.

Also, England is not the most densely populated country in Europe.

As of 2016, the population density in England was 426 people per km². The Netherlands has 505 people per km².

If areas where there are no people are excluded from the measure, Spain is the most densely populated country, with 737 people per km².

There are parts of Barcelona and Paris with over 50,000 people per square kilometre, compared to just 14,000 per km² in Islington, London's most densely populated area. 

Furthermore, it is not true that the "the majority of people" in the UK are obese.

NHS figures from last year found that 26% of UK men were obese or mordibly obese, compared to 29% of women.

The UK is a travel hub, with Heathrow being the busiest airport in Europe.

READ MORE: Scotland’s future as an independent nation is not just down to Boris Johnson

The 87-year-old peer also urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to join Boris Johnson's drive to reduce obesity in order to "reduce the mortality in future pandemics".

He said blaming the Government for the deaths was a "kind of propaganda [which] simply demoralises the public."

"Keir Starmer has said he wants to help the Government fight the pandemic."

"If he really wants to help the British people, Keir Starmer should join the Prime Minister's campaign to reduce obesity now in order to reduce the mortality in future pandemics," he added.