Polly has accused the Reform UK leader in Kent of endangering lives by questioning the safety of vaccinations.

Her remarks followed an interview given by Kent County Council (KCC) Leader Linden Kemkaran where she made a number of unevidenced claims about vaccines, including saying they weren’t safe for children and suggesting they might be responsible for cancer in the royal family.

In an interview with Times Radio on Sunday 7 September, which can be heard by clicking here, Cllr Kemkaran:

• Suggested cancer in the royal family might be linked to the Covid-19 vaccination.
• Said, “there are a lot of people out there who are very suspicious about vaccines”.
• Claimed, without evidence, that “healthy young women suddenly getting breast cancer, suddenly getting ovarian cancer” might be caused by vaccinations.
• Said the government had “guilt-tripped” parents into getting their children vaccinated and said the Covid-19 vaccine was “never meant for children”, despite the fact that the NHS recommends the Covid-19 vaccine for immunocompromised children.
• Suggested Reform should open an inquiry into whether there was a link between vaccinations and cancer.
• Made the claims despite admitting she wasn’t a “medical expert”.

Cllr Kemkaran made the remarks after being asked on Times Radio whether it was appropriate for Reform to invite someone known for spreading vaccine misinformation to give a major speech at their annual conference. During the speech Aseem Malhotra claimed vaccines “created havoc” in the human body and said they were a “significant factor in the cancer of members of the royal family”.

His remarks were immediately condemned by Cancer Research UK, who said in a statement: “There is no good evidence of a link between the Covid-19 vaccine and cancer risk. The vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect against the infection and prevent serious symptoms.”

Despite that, Cllr Kemkaran claimed in the interview that the decision to invite someone spreading vaccine misinformation to give a major speech at Reform UK’s conference was a matter of “free speech”.

She was responding to a question put to her by a member of the public, who criticised Reform UK for going down a “MAGA anti-vax route” and asked the Kent Council Leader “when children die of disease that can be avoided, how will she explain to grieving families how this policy works?”.

Polly said Cllr Kemkaran was risking lives in Kent by questioning the safety of clinically tested and approved vaccinations:

Vaccines save lives, so there is absolutely no excuse for Reform UK’s leader in Kent to be casting doubt on the safety of NHS-approved vaccinations and encouraging parents not to get children vaccinated.  

Free speech does not give you a free pass to go around spouting dangerous nonsense that could cost people their lives. Council Leader Kemkaran should retract these irresponsible remarks immediately and apologise.

Nigel Farage claims Reform UK are a serious party of government, but the parade of cranks and crackpots he invited to give major speeches at Reform’s conference shows the threat their anti-science agenda poses to our nation’s health.

Reform’s leader in Kent had the opportunity to distance herself from these dangerous and irresponsible remarks about vaccines. Worryingly, she chose instead to fan the flames of anti-vax conspiracy theories even further.