Dua Lipa sparked a government response after using her Brit Awards acceptance speech to call for a pay rise for NHS workers.

The Levitating singer was the big winner at a female dominated awards which saw Little Mix make history as the first female group to win the best British group prize.

Tuesday night’s Brit Awards marked a return of live music following the coronavirus pandemic with 4,000 people in attendance as part of the Government’s live events pilot scheme.

Some 2,500 tickets were gifted to key workers from the Greater London area, many of whom wore blue.

Dua Lipa won both best female solo artist and the coveted best album award, using her first speech to call for a pay rise for NHS workers and her second to demand a posthumous bravery award for 20-year-old Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, who recently died after jumping into the River Thames to save a woman.

Peeblesshire News: Dua Lipa performs during the Brit Awards 2021. (PA)Dua Lipa performs during the Brit Awards 2021. (PA)

During her acceptance speech as she picked up the female solo artist gong, Lipa said: “It’s very good to clap for them, but we need to pay them.

“I think what we should do is we should all give a massive, massive round of applause and give Boris (Johnson) a message that we all support a fair pay rise for our front line.”

Cabinet minister George Eustice stressed there is a “difficult public finance environment” in response to her speech.

Environment Secretary Eustice told BBC Breakfast: “There’s been a pay rise, it was announced. There’s been a pay freeze for most of the public sector and it’s also important to recognise that in recent years that there have been some pay rises as well, particularly for nurses and the lower paid.

“We know that it is a difficult public finance environment as well, so we can’t always go as far as you’d like but it’s also the case that there’s also a pay review that’s going on into the NHS.”

Audience members attending the indoor ceremony were not socially distanced or required to wear face coverings once seated.

However, they needed proof of a negative lateral flow test result to enter the venue and will be required to provide details to NHS Test and Trace and follow Government guidance while travelling.