Alongside the taskforce, the government announced that the NHS is increasing the maternity workforce further, with a £95 million recruitment drive to hire 1,200 more midwives and 100 obstetricians.

In a statement, minister for women’s health, Maria Caulfield, wrote: “For too long disparities have persisted which mean women living in deprived areas or from ethnic monitory backgrounds are less likely to get the care they need, and worse, lose their child. We must do better to understand and address the causes of this.

“The Maternity Disparities Taskforce will help level-up maternity care across the country, bringing together a wide range of experts to deliver real and ambitious change so we can improve care for all women, and I will be monitoring progress closely.”

A dedicated NHS taskforce will tackle the maternity care inequality experienced by ethnic minority and low income women