Covid: Minister attacked over failure to fully vaccinate deployed soldiers

MPs have criticised the government for deploying soldiers who have not yet received two Covid vaccinations.

Labour accused the government of failing in its duty to protect members of the armed forces.

But Defence Minister James Heappey insisted it was right to vaccinate troops in line with their age cohort.

He told MPs that vaccines had been administered to 95% of those on active operations overseas and 61% have had their second dose.

He added that members of the armed forces serving abroad would be offered vaccinations no later than they would have done at home.

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Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who raised the issue in the House of Commons, said the Ministry of Defence should "fully vaccinate all our sailors, soldiers and air personnel as a matter of urgency".

He told MPs that an outbreak among troops in Mali "illustrated the dangerous consequences" of not giving soldiers two vaccinations.

He also suggested partners in Nato - an alliance of countries in the US and Europe - had "expressed concern" that the UK's Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group had departed without all personnel having received two vaccinations.

"In our national battle to tackle Covid we have relied on our military from the start... yet when we ask them to return to their day job those deployed overseas are not fully vaccinated.

"This is an easy call to get right but it's also an irresponsible one to get wrong," he said.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth leaving the naval base in Portsmouth

Mr Heappey replied that he had not heard of any concerns from Nato and told MPs that since the start of the Mali deployment, 24 people had tested positive for Covid.

Labour's shadow defence minister John Healey described the government's actions as "frankly shocking".

"Defence ministers have failed in their first duty to our armed forces - to ensure they are properly trained, equipped and protected when they are deployed overseas," he said.

Earlier this year, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said prioritising vaccinations by age group rather than profession was "the moral thing to do" and would "save most lives".

Currently in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, anyone aged 18 or over can book their first jab.

In Scotland people aged over 30 can book a jab, with the age range extended to those over 18 in specific parts of Glasgow.