London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Mixed reaction as former UK PM Tony Blair calls for radical change to Covid-19 vax strategy to avoid disaster

Mixed reaction as former UK PM Tony Blair calls for radical change to Covid-19 vax strategy to avoid disaster

Tony Blair has warned that the damage to health and the economy will be “colossal” unless the government drastically changes it vaccination programme, but some people don’t want to listen to “war criminal” Blair.

Writing for the Independent, Blair called on the British government to make a radical change to the country’s Covid-19 vaccination plan, amid a massive upturn in infections.

The challenge, according Blair, is to vaccinate people spreading the virus as well as those who are most vulnerable to it.

“As it is now, much of the country will not be vaccinated until spring or summer. The economic and health damage, physical and mental, caused by such a timetable will be colossal,” Blair wrote.

Currently, the health authorities are administering the Pfizer vaccine to the most vulnerable people in the UK, using two doses approximately three weeks apart. The AstraZeneca vaccine, which will reportedly be approved for use in the UK next week, uses the same two dose course.

"Vaccine strategy should be changed – to get a single shot to as many people as possible to slow the spread of coronavirus."


Blair, who served as UK Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007, remains a divisive figure in Britain having presided over the controversial invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in 2003.

The former PM’s remarks have been met with a mixed reaction.

One person wrote on Twitter: “13 years since he left office and Tony Blair is still a million times more prime ministerial than the clown squatting in Downing Street. Spot on as usual from TB.”

Meanwhile, others were less complementary.

“Has Tony suddenly become a vaccine expert and knows more than cmo or Pfizer it health regulatory board - this man will stop at nothing for publicity- only give half a vaccine - Hm if Pfizer said they only had a 50% effectiveness rate we wouldn’t be using it or passed it – doh,” said one commentator on social media.

Another Twitter user was keen to dismiss Blair on account on his record as PM: “Of course people in the UK should listen to the advice of a liar, thief and a war criminal Tony Blair in connection to how to protect their health from China virus.”

Blair’s comments come as the UK faces another serious wave of Covid-19 after authorities identified a new virus strain, prevalent in Britain, which is supposedly 70 percent more contagious.

The former PM believes using all the vaccine doses available to the state will help tackle the pandemic and reduce the need for further lockdowns.

“We should consider using all the available doses in January as first doses, that is, not keeping back half for second doses. Then, as more production is rolled out, we will have enough for the second dose,” Blair argues.

“Thirty million Johnson and Johnson vaccines – which is a one-dose vaccine – should also be with us by end of January. We should aim to use them all in February.”

As of December 21, the first dose of the Pfizer vaccines had been given to 500,000 people in the UK.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×