Labour MP Zarah Sultana has caused a bit of a stir by proposing that prisoners be allowed to skip the queue for the Covid-19 vaccine. She’s even been Steerpiked, a rite of passage for any aspiring ‘Loony Left’ Labour MP. If anything, her compassion for lags marks a welcome development in someone who six years ago was pledging to celebrate the deaths of Tony Blair and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sultana asked vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi at the science and technology select committee yesterday whether the government had considered ‘prioritising vaccinating detainees as well as those who work in prisons’.
Despite the backlash to Sultana’s suggestion, the problem is that there’s evidence to back up her argument.
Some things are right even if Zarah Sultana says so
Zahawi said those within the prison estate ‘who fall into the most vulnerable categories’ would be prioritised, but the prison estate itself is a vulnerable category. A 2018 report by the Commons health and social care committee concluded:
‘Too many prisoners remain in unsafe, unsanitary and outdated establishments.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in