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A British opposition frontbencher apologized Monday for suggesting the country should have signed up to the EU’s vaccination scheme.
Catherine West, the Labour Party’s shadow Europe minister, said a 2020 message condemning the U.K.’s decision to opt out of the bloc-wide program to buy and distribute vaccines had now “proven to be wrong.”
West initially responded to a report on Britain’s move last year by tweeting: “Dumber and dumber.”
But she said in a fresh social media post Monday: “Last year, I tweeted about the EU vaccine scheme. My tweet has proven to be wrong, and I’ve now apologised and deleted it. Our NHS is doing a great job and I’ll continue supporting the effort to vaccine Britain.”
Her about-face comes as the U.K. government trumpets its progress in vaccinating the British public, and as the EU battles to increase supply following a high-profile row with manufacturer AstraZeneca.
The latest U.K. government figures show that more than 8,977,300 people have so far received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 491,000 have had their second jab.
The Labour Party — which has attacked the government over much of its pandemic handling — has shied away from criticism of the vaccine program, with leader Keir Starmer attempting to pitch the party as a responsible opposition.
Instead, Labour has focused on trying to ensure teachers receive vaccines as a priority. Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth on Sunday hailed the “stunning achievement” of more than half a million people being vaccinated in a single day — but said this showed teachers could swiftly be given jabs.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week accused Labour of making “party political points” by questioning public relations spending for the task force leading the U.K.’s vaccine drive.
“We will go on, with or without his help, in taking this country forward, fighting the pandemic and getting coronavirus down,” he told Starmer.
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