Health Secretary defends Boris Johnson's Yorkshire visit as 'an important part of keeping the nation going'

Boris Johnson visited the Al-Hikmah Centre in Batley yesterday, where he praised the work being done in ensuring there is high take-up of the vaccine among the local Indian Muslim community.

But in the Commons today, Huddersfield Labour MP Barry Sheerman questioned whether the journey was essential and accused the Prime Minister of “breaking all the rules going around the country and stirring up discontent”.

Mr Sheerman said there was “much to celebrate today”, but he said: “Before we get too euphoric, can I remind [Mr Hancock] that 406 people died yesterday of Covid, 70 people have died in Huddersfield hospitals since January 1.”

He added: “The fight is still on, the team working in my constituency and beyond is brilliant, they’re all keeping to the rules, will [Mr Hancock] stop the Prime Minister breaking all the rules going around the country and stirring up discontent?”

But Mr Hancock said: “Of course the Prime Minister is going to go around the country and thank people for what they are doing.”

He said on the Yorkshire visit, but also on a trip to Scotland last week, people were “very enthusiastic to see the Prime Minister”, and he suggested either he or Mr Johnson could visit Huddersfield to thank vaccination centre staff and volunteers there.

He added: “Travelling around the country to thank people for their efforts is an important part of keeping the nation going in these difficult times.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also carried out visits during the national lockdowns, most recently yesterday he visited those impacted by the cladding scandal in Royal Artillery Quays in Woolwich, south-east London.

And he visited Bentley in south Yorkshire last month.

Dewsbury Tory MP Mark Eastwood, who met the PM on his visit yesterday, said he had highlighted “the importance of people from local communities accepting the offer of a vaccine”.

Asked by Mr Eastwood what message he would give to those reluctant to take the vaccine, Mr Hancock said: “They should listen to their local representative, and all those who've looked at the impact of this vaccine, and we can see that it saves lives, and we can see that it is safe to take.

“And we can see that the rumours that are spread on the internet are just that, bad rumours, they're not facts, and I would listen to local faith leaders from churches and mosques and synagogues right across the country, who are all uniting in saying that we should take the jab when it's our turn, it’s the right thing for you, and it's the right thing for your community.”

Mr Hancock told the Commons the Government was working with vaccine firms to ensure the jabs worked against new variants.

Public Health England (PHE) is investigating strains of coronavirus in the UK which have developed a mutation that has been worrying scientists.

Eleven cases in the Bristol area have been identified as the variant that originally arose in Kent but are now showing the E484K mutation.

A cluster of 32 cases in Liverpool also have the same mutation but relate to the original strain of coronavirus that has been around since the start of the pandemic.

The South African variant – which also shows the mutation – is under investigation in at least eight postcode areas of England where cases not linked to travel have been found.

A PHE spokesman said: “PHE is monitoring the situation closely and all necessary public health interventions are being undertaken, including enhanced contact tracing and control measures.”

The E484K mutation has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing people contracting Covid-19.

However, public health experts believe current vaccines will still be effective against strains with the mutation, although at a lower level, and are good at preventing severe disease.

Mr Hancock said: “We’re working with pharmaceutical companies and with the scientists to understand both whether [...] modifications are needed, where they are needed, and how they can be brought to use on the frontline as quickly and safely as possible.

“This is obviously a very important consideration given the new variants that we’ve seen.

“And we have confidence that modifications to vaccines, should they be necessary in large scale, will be available more quickly than the original vaccines.

“And just as we did first time round, when we got in there early and we bought at risk, so we are having exactly the same conversations right now with the pharmaceutical companies to make sure that we are right at the front of this one.”