As the Conservative Party leadership race enters its final phase, it’s no surprise that Liz Truss is in the news a lot. Every day brings new reports of the policy red meat she’s throwing to Tory members to win their favour, not least her (now aborted) plans to cut pay for nurses and teachers outside of London.
It’s easy to forget amid this noise that Liz Truss is still the serving Foreign Secretary and Women and Equalities Minister. She certainly appears to have forgotten, if her response to the outbreak of monkeypox in this country is anything to go by.
As I write, the UK risks running out of monkeypox vaccines within weeks, with leaked documents from the UK Health Security Agency suggesting that we could be short of at least 100,000 doses. The Government’s response has been chaotic, with health officials awaiting authorisation to purchase the additional vaccines we need from ministers who have either checked out or clocked off for the summer. Campaigners fear a knock-on effect on sexual health services, which are reportedly diverting resources to counter the threat of monkeypox, including screening for HIV and PrEP provision.
Due to supply issues, it's now very difficult to get an appointment to be vaccinated against #monkeypox.
Ahead of more doses arriving in the country from late September, take a look at our information and advice while you're waiting for vaccination 👇
— Terrence Higgins Trust (@THTorguk) August 17, 2022
Liz Truss is not a disinterested bystander in this. As Women and Equalities Minister, she is in charge of the Government Equalities Office (GEO) that leads on policy relating to LGBT+ communities. The evidence that monkeypox disproportionately affects gay and bisexual men and men who have sex with men is clear, which is why sexual health charities and LGBT+ groups have been warning for weeks that urgent, targeted action within that community is needed to prevent the disease from becoming endemic. Yet Truss and the GEO remain silent. No equalities minister has made a statement on the disease in Parliament since the first case was confirmed in the UK in May, the GEO website does not mention it, and there is no information about what the Department is doing to signpost at-risk groups to the support and resources they need to protect themselves and stop the spread.
In the absence of such action from Truss and her Department, gay and bisexual men and men who have sex with men have had to rely on information organically shared within their community via social media, apps and websites such as this one. This is unacceptable, and those at risk from this disease deserve better from a politician aspiring to be the next Prime Minister. Instead of running around the country to a comparatively tiny number of Tory party members, she should be trying to stop the UK running out of monkeypox vaccines. And instead of speaking exclusively to the Tory Party, she should be speaking to the people most at risk from this disease.
The Covid-19 pandemic showed how important it is that clear and accurate guidance is provided to those most at risk of infection, as well as information on vaccine eligibility, so that no one is afraid to come forward. After repeated calls for action, the GEO was involved in supporting work to target at-risk groups to encourage them to get vaccinated against the virus, with equalities ministers issuing press releases and research into its disproportionate impact on certain communities. Now we face a new viral threat that is disproportionately impacting another community that the GEO is responsible for, we again need action from Truss and her team.
The UK is running out of monkeypox vaccines.
No statement from the Women and Equalities Minister. No call for action. No info on the @GEOgovuk website for at-risk groups.
Liz Truss is so desperate to be PM she’s forgotten she still has a day job.https://t.co/mYoJH3OiI6
— Anneliese Dodds 💙 (@AnnelieseDodds) August 18, 2022
That is why I have written to Truss in my capacity as Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary asking her to explain exactly what she and the GEO are doing – if anything – to support UK health authorities to help stop the spread of monkeypox, including to reach groups most at risk via social media, apps and LGBT+ media. On vaccines, she needs to show some leadership, get a grip on this situation, and get ministers in the Department of Health to authorise the vaccines we need. I also want to know what she will do if she becomes Prime Minister to work on preparedness for a second monkeypox vaccination, if the need for one is supported by epidemiological evidence, so we can avoid a repeat of the current vaccine crisis.
The Conservatives have taken their eye off the ball on monkeypox because they are focussing on their own narrow interests. Labour by contrast would be acting in the national interest, taking urgent action to target information and resources to those most at risk, including via social media. We would be working with expert sexual health and LGBT+ organisations, including Pride organisations, to reach at-risk groups and keep everyone safe. And we would make sure we have the vaccines we need, with a Jabs Army of volunteers to take the pressure off sexual health clinics to maintain screening for HIV and PrEP provision.
This is a serious development that requires an equally serious shift in gear from the Government.
To prevent Monkeypox becoming endemic, the Government needs to urgently increase vaccine supply alongside a major communication campaign to alert the public to the risks. https://t.co/Jf1ub192sl
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) July 23, 2022
My colleague the Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also called for the UK government to take a leadership role in the global effort against monkeypox, starting with convening the manufacturer of the vaccine and health leaders from other countries that are experiencing outbreaks, in order to agree a plan to rapidly increase supply. Alongside our efforts to ask the GEO to act, he has pushed for a public information campaign commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care and working with the voluntary sector and those who have experienced monkeypox to reach those most at risk.
Whoever wins the Tory leadership race, it’s clear this Conservative Government is out of ideas, out of road – and out of time. The Labour Party stands ready to help in any way possible, and we send our support to anyone in the LGBT+ community who has been affected by this disease. Together we can beat it, but only Labour can deliver the fresh start that LGBT+ people really need.
Anneliese Jane Dodds is a Labour and Co-operative politician currently serving as the Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, as well as the MP for Oxford East.
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