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At the start of 2021, the UK coronavirus vaccine rollout was one of the fastest in the world.

While the European Union launched legal action over supply shortfalls and several member states battled widespread vaccine hesitancy, by 20 March, Britain was handing out more than 800,000 doses a day.

But now it has fallen to 13th in the rankings of percentage of population vaccinated, with just 63.8% double jabbed.

And EU countries such as Malta, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and Belgium have now overtaken, as their rollouts gain momentum and the UK loses pace.

Here Sky News looks at why the UK COVID vaccine rollout appears to have slowed down.

Children not included in UK count so far

The government’s chief medical officers only agreed to start offering the vaccine to all 12 to 15-year-olds on 13 September.

This means that until that rollout begins, a significant part of the population will not appear in vaccination statistics, putting the UK behind other countries who have been immunising schoolchildren such as Portugal and Ireland.

Dr Al Edwards, of the University of Reading’s school of pharmacy, described the concept of the UK’s rollout being ‘behind’ as “artificial”.

“In the UK we started vaccinating the really vulnerable groups first and that has had a really significant effect,” he told Sky News.

“The benefit of vaccination is different for different age groups,” he said.

“So any country that can vaccinate their most vulnerable 30% will have huge benefits because that will help prevent serious disease and death.

“When you get to between 30 and 60% those benefits become marginal.

“And then when you get to around 80%, you are really just arguing about the benefits, because they have significantly diminished.”

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Professor Andrew Preston, of the University of Bath’s department of biology and biochemistry, added that avoiding lockdowns and being able to live with the virus matters more than the numbers.

“The end game of the vaccine programme was never to vaccinate 100% of the population, it was to overcome the pandemic”, he told Sky News.

“Vaccinating children will boost the numbers, but it all depends on whether we can move back to a pre-COVID existence or not – whether that’s by vaccinating 20%, 40% or 60% of the population.

“We need to move away from just looking at the percentage vaccinated and instead at what we are actually achieving in terms of this moving towards being an endemic virus in future years.”

Tough restrictions on unvaccinated in Europe and elsewhere

Malta has vaccinated more of its population than any other country.

One of the reasons for this is its tough restrictions on those who are unvaccinated.

Since the beginning of July, people can only remove their face masks in public places if they’ve been double jabbed.

This can be proven by an official Maltese vaccine certificate or the EU ‘digital pass’.

Although France’s vaccine programme is still behind the UK’s, it has caught up significantly since the introduction of its ‘health pass’ in late July.

Its daily vaccination rate almost doubled in the weeks following, with nearly eight million getting their first dose in the first six weeks.

People now have to show a health pass to go to cafes, bars, restaurants, museums and other indoor spaces.

Similar digital passes have been introduced across Europe and beyond and have helped boost vaccination rates.

In the UK however, the government has rejected the idea of vaccine passports apart from in nightclubs and says it will only bring them in more widely if hospitalisations rise this winter.

“Other countries seem quite happy to use a more authoritarian system without batting an eyelid,” Professor Preston said.

“Italy, for example, have their green pass and it seems to be working, but here we have a very vocal minority defending those civil liberties.”

UK vaccine messaging is ‘wearing off’

Vaccine uptake in the UK is still lowest in the under-30s.

Only 48.9% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 51.8% of 25 to 29-year-olds had received two doses in England by 12 September.

Although they were last to be offered a jab, the government promised to have invited everyone over 18 to get their first by mid-July and shortened the gap between first and second from 12 to eight weeks.

Professor Sharifah Sekalala, an expert in public policy and global health at the University of Warwick, says the overall vaccine rollout has suffered from a lack of engagement with young people.

“Because of the way we banded ages at the beginning, and we reopened before they were vaccinated, people of university age feel as though their vaccinations are not as important as others,” she told Sky News.

“There has been very little consultation with them. They don’t see their GPs as much as the rest of the population, so very little community work has been done and we need to do more to address that,” she said.

Professor Sekalala also claims public messaging on the vaccine has slowed down in general, particularly with regards to underprivileged groups.

“If we’re comparing ourselves to Europe, we have massive social inequalities already, so more community work on vaccines is required,” she said.

“But it’s wearing off – it was very strong in the beginning – but now some people just think it’s all done because we’re not talking about it anymore.”

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PM ‘angry’ over Mandelson scandal – as emergency debate set to ramp up pressure

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PM 'angry' over Mandelson scandal - as emergency debate set to ramp up pressure

An emergency debate will take place in parliament today over Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as his ambassador to the US.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has agreed to allot three hours for questions about what the government, and particular the prime minister, knew and didn’t know about the depth of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson was appointed in January 2025 to the UK’s most senior overseas diplomatic position – the ambassador to the US.

He had always admitted to having known Epstein, but last week the US Congress unveiled the contents of a 50th “birthday book” which revealed a much closer relationship.

Among the tributes to Epstein in it, Lord Mandelson had described him as “my best pal”.

A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the 'birthday book' released by the US Congress. Pics: US House Oversight Committee
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A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the ‘birthday book’ released by the US Congress. Pics: US House Oversight Committee

Then, emails published by The Sun and Bloomberg were even more damning, showing the former Labour minister sympathising with the convicted sex trafficker, saying: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened.”

Lord Mandelson was removed from his ambassadorial post on Thursday, but not before Sir Keir had defended him at PMQs the day before. He has come under fire over his handling of the issue.

I’m ‘angry’, says PM

On Monday, in his first remarks about the sacking, the embattled prime minister – who earlier this month lost his deputy Angela Rayner to a tax affairs scandal – insisted he would have “never appointed” Lord Mandelson if he’d known then what he knows now.

He told Channel 4 News he was “angry” to have ended up in a situation where he pivoted from defending him to sacking him within 24 hours, suggesting he was unaware of the “detailed allegations” before PMQs.

But questions remain about what exactly the PM – or the vetting team – knew, and the government has declined to release the details of the procedure Lord Mandelson underwent before he was appointed.

The Conservatives hope to use today’s emergency debate to increase pressure on the government to publish all the information – just hours before Donald Trump lands in the UK for a state visit.

The US president is himself embroiled in questions about his own relationship with the disgraced billionaire.

Analysis: No state visit has had a backdrop quite like this

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted the emergency debate. Pic: PA
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Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted the emergency debate. Pic: PA

Sir Keir was also hit by the resignation of Number 10’s director of strategy, Paul Ovenden, on Monday. He quit after it emerged he’d sent sexually explicit messages about independent MP Diane Abbott.

It’s all added up to a rotten start to the new parliamentary term for the prime minister, who just two weeks ago confidently declared “phase two” of his government was now under way.

He’s ruled out resigning, despite discontent on his backbenches and Reform UK’s sustained lead in the polls.

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Former PM Gordon Brown rallied to Sir Keir’s defence

But former prime minister Gordon Brown has come to Sir Keir’s defence.

Speaking to Sky News, he said he expected the PM to be “completely exonerated” over the Mandelson scandal.

Mr Brown, the last Labour PM before Sir Keir, said he didn’t want to criticise his judgement because he faces “very difficult decisions”.

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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years each after killing their newborn daughter

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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years each after killing their newborn daughter

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been jailed for a total of 28 years after they were convicted of killing their baby.

Marten, 38, who is from a wealthy family, and her partner Gordon, 51, were each handed sentences of 14 years at the Old Bailey on Monday.

Latest updates from the sentencing

They went on the run with their newborn daughter, Victoria, to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care.

Victoria’s body was found with rubbish inside a Lidl shopping bag in the corner of an allotment in Brighton on 1 March 2023.

The pair had been the subject of a nationwide manhunt for 54 days.

Read more:
Why did Constance Marten and Mark Gordon go on the run?

How the runaway couple killed their baby

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA

‘No genuine expression of remorse’

Judge Mark Lucraft told the pair during sentencing that “neither of you gave much or any thought to the care or welfare of your baby”.

“Your focus was on yourselves,” he said, before adding: “There has been no genuine expression of remorse from either of you.

“Whilst there have been expressions of sorrow about the death throughout, you’ve adopted the stance of seeking to blame everyone else other than yourselves for what happened.”

Sky’s home affairs reporter Henry Vaughan reported that neither showed much emotion during sentencing, and that after they stood up, Gordon stared at Marten as she left the dock.

They were both convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following a second trial at the Old Bailey.

Constance Marten being interviewed by police.
Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Constance Marten being interviewed by police.
Pic: Met Police/PA

They had previously been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, and child cruelty after an Old Bailey trial lasting almost five months.

A second trial was ordered after the first jury failed to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charges.

Marten is now seeking permission to appeal against her conviction for manslaughter. A previous application to appeal her conviction of cruelty to a child was rejected in February this year.

Both trials were hampered by disruption and delays, taking up more than 33 weeks of court time, which – at an estimated £30,000 per defendant a day – could have cost in the region of £10m.

A search for Marten and Gordon was launched after a placenta was found in the couple’s burnt-out car on a motorway in Bolton in January 2023.

Marten said they went on the run so their fifth child would not be removed from them after her other children were “stolen by the state”.

The couple spent vast sums of cash from her family trust fund on taxi journeys as they travelled from Bolton, to Liverpool, to Harwich in Essex, to London and then to Newhaven on the south coast.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby
Image:
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby

Baby’s clothing inadequate, judge says

Prosecutors said the baby was inadequately clothed in a babygrow and that Marten had got wet as she carried the infant underneath her coat, alleging Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping.

Judge Lucraft said that while Marten and Gordon claimed they wanted dignity for Victoria’s body, their “conduct showed the opposite”.

He also said the baby had died by 12 January 2023, and that the couple then concealed her and perverted the course of justice before her “decomposed body” was found.

“When you were arrested,” the court heard, “neither of you was willing to give any assistance to the police about the whereabouts of your daughter’s body.

“Your silence at that stage of events is highly significant.”

Police at the allotment where Victoria's body was found
Image:
Police at the allotment where Victoria’s body was found

Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, who led the investigation, said the couple’s “selfish actions” resulted in the death of Victoria, “who would have recently had her second birthday and should have had the rest of her life ahead of her”.

She added: “We know today’s sentencing won’t bring Victoria back, but I am pleased our investigation has resulted in the couple who caused her death finally being brought to justice.”

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Prosecutors drop charges against two men accused of spying for China

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Prosecutors drop charges against two men accused of spying for China

Prosecutors have dropped charges against two men, including a former parliamentary researcher, who had been accused of spying for China.

Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, had both denied accusations of providing information prejudicial to the interests of the state in breach of the Official Secrets Act between December 2021 and February 2023.

It was alleged they obtained, recorded and published information “for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state” and which could be “directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.

They were due to go on trial next month, but prosecutor Tom Little told London’s Old Bailey they would offer no evidence against the pair.

He said: “We simply cannot continue to prosecute.”

A spokesperson for the Home Office said it was “disappointing” the pair would not face trial “given the seriousness of the allegations”.

They said the decision was made by the Crown Prosecution Service “entirely independently of government”.

“National security is the first duty of government and we remain steadfast in upholding this responsibility,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to use the full range of tools and powers to guard against malign activity.”

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “In accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, the evidence in this case has been kept under continuous review and it has now been determined that the evidential standard for the offence indicted is no longer met. No further evidence will be offered.”

Read more from Sky News:
Prime Madeleine McCann suspect refuses UK police interview
New details emerge about suspect in Charlie Kirk killing

Mr Cash’s lawyer said his client was “entirely innocent and should never have been arrested, let alone charged”.

Speaking outside court, Mr Cash said: “While I am relieved that justice has been served today, the last two and a half years have been a nightmare for me and my family.”

He said he hoped “lessons are learned from this sorry episode”.

China had dismissed the charges as “self-staged political farce”.

Mr Cash previously worked as a parliamentary researcher and was closely linked to senior Tories including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, who served as chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

He was director of the China Research Group, which was chaired by Mr Tugendhat and then Ms Kearns.

Mr Berry has worked in various teaching posts in China since September 2015.

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