Britain is ‘recklessly exposed’ to new pandemics, expert warns

Vaccine plans devised during Covid crisis have been systematically dismantled by ministers, says former head of vaccine taskforce

Ministers have “systematically dismantled” critical vaccine plans drawn up during the Covid crisis and left the country recklessly exposed to another pandemic, one of the most senior figures shaping Britain’s scientific response to the virus has warned.

In a damning verdict that comes just days before the official Covid inquiry starts publicly examining Britain’s preparedness for pandemics, Dr Clive Dix, the former chairman of the UK’s vaccine taskforce, said the abandonment of schemes developed during Covid now left Britain “fraught with danger”.