Labour MP apologises after sharing false rumours that vaccine minister jumped queue for vaccination
A Labour MP has been forced to apologise after sharing false rumours that the vaccine minister had jumped the queue for the coronavirus vaccination.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan publicly tweeted Nadhim Zahawi on Saturday to say that she had heard rumors he had got himself and his family vaccinated in Wandsworth.
In a series of tweets which she had since deleted, Dr Allin-Khan said: “Nadhim, can you please tell us if it’s true? “I really hope it’s not, unless you meet the necessary criteria.
There are millions of vulnerable people waiting patiently in the queue.”
She then tweeted discouraging people from “throwing unnecessary attacks against the minister” and said that she did “not know if this is true but I am hoping he will have the decency to answer”.
In a further tweet she apologised for causing “a pile on”, which she said “was absolutely not my intention, and for that I apologise”.
A final tweet stated that she had deleted her previous tweets “which were inappropriate and wrong”.
The MP for Tooting said: “I regret sharing unsubstantiated claims about the Minister and I apologise to him and his family.”
Mr Zahawi thanked Dr Allin-Khan for her apology as he confirmed that the accusation was not true.
“It is sad you chose to act like this, we all need to work together to beat this awful disease,” he said.
Mr Zahawi was appointed health minister responsible for the deployment of the coronavirus vaccine, by Boris Johnson in November.
The temporary position will last until at least next summer with Mr Zahawi temporarily relinquishing responsibility for most areas of his brief at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The Tory MP for Stratford-upon-Avon previously wrote in The Telegraph that he was “delighted to be joining this Herculean effort, to protect our loved ones and the things we love, and get us on the road back to normal life”.
