What the experts said: the doomsday predictions over the UK's vaccine programme

The UK’s vaccine programme may now be regarded as a big success but that wasn’t always the case. As the UK injects at five times the speed of the EU-27, even ardent-Remainers are coming around to the pros of going it alone. Only the UK would not be in this fortunate position had ministers taken the advice of a number of leading opposition politicians and commentators.

Back in the summer, Mr S could barely log onto social media without seeing warnings of the brazen foolishness of the UK government choosing not to be a part of the EU vaccine taskforce. Labour politicians, including Keir Starmer and the shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth, had made clear previously that had they been in charge, the UK would have remained part of the European Medicines Agency which has been slow to approve vaccines – but others in the party went further.

There were calls from Labour MP Zara Sultana for the head of the UK vaccine taskforce Kate Bingham to leave her role – with the venture capitalist branded a Tory crony by Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner. Here’s Mr Steerpike’s round-up of the takes that have aged the worst:

Most popular

Madeline Grant

Keir Starmer is seriously stupid

Walking away from the EU vaccines scheme is putting ideology ahead of public health. You would think that during a pandemic ministers would put political dogma aside. But it seems for this government it’s Brexit over vaccineshttps://t.co/82YnzEMeyE
— Layla Moran 🔶🕊️ (@LaylaMoran) July 10, 2020

https://twitter.com/CatherineWest1/status/1281900216577400833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Brexit means coronavirus vaccine will be slower to reach the UK https://t.co/GE7pd2goWN
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) March 15, 2020

– Won’t join EU vaccine scheme
– Wouldn’t join EU ventilator scheme
– Failed to join EU PPE procurement scheme
– Allowing No Deal that will lead to medicine shortages and devastate the NHS

Brexit is a suicide cult.
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) July 10, 2020

The SNP’s Shadow Brexit Secretary Dr Philippa Whitford, 10 July 2020: ‘At a time when the UK should be accelerating efforts to work with our EU partners towards finding a vaccine, it is concerning that the UK government has instead rejected the opportunity to take part in yet another EU-wide programme. The UK government’s short-sighted and increasingly isolationist approach does nothing but hinder the ability to tackle the virus effectively.’