Social media giants have been called on to censor misleading posts from MPs which suggest the fast approval of a Covid-19 vaccine is thanks to Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Matt Hancock, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Alok Sharma were among the members of cabinet to make the spurious claims yesterday, all of whom were quickly shot down by scientists and regulators.
Asked by presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer whether the swift approval had been a “benefit of Brexit”, the Health Secretary said:
“Well, that’s right. It is absolutely clear that because we’ve left the EU, I was able to change the law so that the UK alone could make this authorisation decision.”
But his comments were quickly rebuked by Dr June Raine, head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which approved the vaccine, who said:
“We’ve been able to authorise supply of this vaccine under provisions under European law which exist until January 1st.”
Other prominent politicians have also been called out for spreading misinformation, with people asking Twitter to censor the claims in the same way it did with US President Donald Trump during the election.
Rees-Mogg, the Leader of the House of Commons, said “we could only approve this vaccine so quickly because we have left the EU”, while Alok Sharma received a dressing down after he hailed the day “the UK led humanity’s charge against the disease”.
Tory MP Michael Fabricant and Nadine Dorries also credited Brexit for the speedy approval, to much derision online:
Related: Covid-19: Debunking the most common anti-vaxxer arguments
