Nigel Farage fails leadership test with failure to condemn Donald Trump’s paracetamol comments
The NHS already has enough on its plate without having to deal with dangerous myths being peddled by the US President. It should go without saying that Donald Trump’s comments linking paracetamol being taken by expectant mothers to autism should be condemned as misleading.
The desire for some politicians to ingratiate themselves with Trump is understandable given the influence that he wields. But a line must be drawn when medical experts are criticising his intervention on autism. By refusing to say that Trump was irresponsible for claiming paracetamol could cause autism in babies, Nigel Farage is showing a failure of leadership.
If Reform is going to be a viable alternative to the established political parties, then it needs to show that it is serious on matters of national health.
Not only did Farage refuse to condemn Trump’s comments but said that he had “no idea” whether the US president was right. Instead he dangerously went on to make comparisons with the thalidomide scandal.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a statement confirming there is “no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children”.
Asked if he would side with medical experts who say it is dangerous to make the link, Mr Farage said: “I wouldn’t, when it comes to science, I don’t side with anybody.”
That is dangerous terrain to be headed towards. And when you couple this with the comments that other figures in and around the Reform party have made in the past about medical expertise, it is a genuine concern.