One of the
Democratic Party’s most senior figures has openly criticised the UK’s system for approving a Covid-19 vaccine, suggesting that the process for ensuring its safety is not as rigorous as that followed in America.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives - one half of the US
Congress - made the unexpected comment during a press conference on Friday. She said that people must be “very careful” about the
UK drive to approve a vaccine, suggesting that America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had a tougher criteria for screening any vaccine than its equivalent in
Britain. Oxford University and the drugs company AstraZeneca are working together on a possible vaccine for Covid-19 and are further along the timeline of trials than other similar vaccines being worked on by others. The timing of the comments suggests there could be a reflection of political calculation, given Mr Trump appears eager to declare a
Coronavirus vaccine has been secured before the
election and one of the leading candidates is being researched in the UK.