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