A significant portion of Reform UK's local government leaders have publicly questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, drawing sharp condemnation from a government health minister who labelled their comments as "dangerous and utterly irresponsible".
Senior Figures Cast Doubt on Public Health Measures
The leaders of four out of the twelve councils where Reform is in charge or the largest party have voiced vaccine-hesitant positions. These include the councils of Kent, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Durham.
Health Minister Zubir Ahmed, who is also an NHS transplant and vascular surgeon, issued a strong rebuke. He stated that politicians who cast doubt on vaccines risk exposing children and vulnerable people to harm. "At a time when our NHS is under huge pressure, sowing mistrust in proven public health measures is reckless," Ahmed said.
Controversial Claims and Party-Linked Sentiment
The controversy follows a speech at Reform's conference in September by cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, a senior adviser to the vaccine-sceptic US health secretary Robert F Kennedy. Malhotra used the platform to claim, without evidence, that the Covid vaccine had caused cancer in the royal family.
Reform's chair, David Bull, has described Malhotra as the man who "worked with me to write Reform UK's health policy". Vaccine hesitancy appears to be a recurring theme, with party figures including Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, and Danny Kruger having all raised doubts in the past.
Specific Concerns Raised by Council Leaders
Linden Kemkaran, the leader of Kent County Council and Reform's first council leader, suggested in September that the party should hold an inquiry into a potential link between Covid vaccines and cancer, despite a lack of medical evidence. She told Times Radio that Reform was "not afraid to debate topics that other people have decided must be silenced".
In Worcestershire, party leader Jo Monk told a council meeting in November that while she acknowledged vaccines' role in disease prevention, she "remains undecided on certain immunisations". She attributed her perspective to personal experiences and conversations with medical practitioners.
George Finch, who leads Warwickshire County Council, expressed doubts about the new chickenpox vaccine on LBC radio in August, suggesting "chickenpox parties get it out of the way" and that the virus was "part of life". The government hopes adding the jab to the childhood programme will prevent severe complications.
In a since-deleted social media post from October 2023, Durham County Council leader Andrew Husband called vaccines "horrific, like all crimes against humanity".
Public Health Backdrop and Party Response
These remarks come as public health chiefs launch national campaigns to boost childhood vaccination rates, amid concerns over falling uptake and the re-emergence of serious diseases like measles in England.
In response to the criticism, a Reform UK spokesman stated: "Reform UK strongly supports proven vaccination programmes that protect public health. But as our councillors have highlighted, forcing blind obedience to every vaccine without question or evidence erodes trust, sabotages successful rollouts, and allows misinformation to spread."
