Government vaccination plans have been plunged into confusion after a Whitehall department announced that all over-50s will be offered a coronavirus jab by the start of May.
In chaotic scenes, Downing Street initially distanced itself from the Cabinet Office announcement, with a No 10 spokesman telling the media it had been “issued in error”.
But just minutes later, the same spokesman said that the statement was in fact correct, but added that the precise government target will not be announced until later this month.
Prime minister Boris Johnson will announce the date for vaccinating the top nine priority groups – including all over-50s and people with certain underlying health conditions – on 15 February, when the deadline for offering the jab to all over-70s passes, he said.
The contradictory statements fuelled speculation that the target date had inadvertently been prematurely revealed.
Downing Street has faced a hail of questions in recent days over its deadline for vaccinating over-50s, but has doggedly stuck to the vague target of “by the end of spring”. Spokesmen have refused to specify whether this meant the end of May, the solstice on 21 June which marks the start of summer in astronomical terms, or some other date.
The announcement of the May Day goal was buried in a Cabinet Office press release confirming that local elections in England will go ahead on 6 May this year.
After setting out plans for voters to go to the polls, the document added without fanfare that the vaccination programme was “planned to have reached all nine priority cohorts by May”.
The nine priority cohorts include everybody over the age of 50, frontline health and care staff, and people over 16 in an at-risk group.
In its statement, the Cabinet Office said: “The UK’s vaccination programme is planned to have reached all nine priority cohorts by May, meaning that the Government can commit to go ahead with these polls with confidence – and maintain the choice for voters between voting in person or remotely.”
Downing Street initially sought to disown the date, with one source quoted as saying it “does not reflect internal projections”.
And at a regular daily media briefing, the No10 spokesman told reporters: “This was issued in error and I believe the Cabinet Office have now withdrawn this.”
He added: “Our ambition is to offer all priority cohorts a vaccination by the spring. As the prime minister said this week, he will set out a precise timeline on 15 February, wehn teh current target for vaccinating groups one to four expires. “This will depend on the size of vaccine supply and future deliveries. We are extremely condident in the success of our vaccine programme.”
Just minutes later, however, the spokesman said that the release had in fact not been withdrawn.
“The Cabinet Office document is correct,” he said. “The prime minister will set out more details on 15 February.”
UK news in pictures
Show all 50
Speaking on Thursday, Boris Johnson’s official spokesman confirmed that “we will ensure that all those in the first phase receive their first dose by the end of spring.”
But when reporters pressed him to define exactly when spring ends, he refused to put a date on it.
NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has previously said the aim is for all over-50s and those at risk to be vaccinated by the end of April.
But former cabinet minister Karen Bradley recently told a Commons committee that the civil service definition of spring lasted “until the last day in July that Parliament sits”.
