COVID-19 UK Political Analysis by Tim Hames – 12th February 2021

Adverse weather in much of the country has created unanticipated challenges in the final push to reach the first four priority groups to offer them an initial vaccination injection, but it still appears that ministers are likely to reach the target date of February 15th. This is an extraordinary achievement. It also seems to be the case that the infrastructure is in place to allow the next five sections of the public to have their opening vaccination by, or even before, the end of April. Yet the threat of virus mutation remains real and this will probably ensure, if only as a precaution, that there will be a third “booster” vaccination administered before the end of the calendar year. This was signalled by Boris Johnson during an exchange at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. Such seems to be the enthusiasm of the British for attending vaccination clinics, this may even be welcomed.

It has all been quite a spectacle. What might its wider impact prove to be? There are some intriguing initial possibilities which have emerged through three different opinion polls in the past few days. The first, compiled by YouGov, compares national attitudes towards vaccination across a wide range of countries and continents. The other two are both domestic in nature and their findings provide a provisional assessment on attitudes towards the roll-out drive so far, expectations of how it will proceed as it moves into the next stage and the extent to which the British population sees vaccination as an end by itself to this crisis or holds a more nuanced view as to what can be achieved by vaccines alone. There is also broader evidence that success with vaccination so far has restored some confidence in the Prime Minister and Government and that will have an effect too.