Link vs body text colour contrast

[hiten-livi]

Bug Report

What is the issue?

An accessibility audit of our site has flagged the following non-compliance with WCAG Level A: 1.4.1 Use of Colour. The contrast ratio of Links ($nhsuk-link-color) to Body Text (#212b32) is 2.26:1

WCAG Success Criterion Success Criterion 1.4.1 Use of Colour (Level A): Colour is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

WCAG Sufficient technique G183: Using a contrast ratio of 3:1 with surrounding text and providing additional visual cues on hover for links or controls where color alone is used to identify them

What steps are required to reproduce the issue?

Go to any site that uses links, e.g.: https://www.nhs.uk/

What was the environment where this issue occurred?

Can be observed on all desktop devices including macOS Sonoma and Windows 11.

Is there anything else you think would be useful in recreating the issue?

This is a core NHS style component; flagging this issue for your consideration