Cherie’s sister weighs into jabs row

John Innes

CHERIE Blair’s half-sister has urged the government to drop its "bullying tactics" and initiate a more open debate on the risks of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR).

As the Blairs remained silent this week on whether they had permitted their 18-month-old son, Leo, to have the triple jab, Lauren Booth called on the government to tell the truth about the inoculations.

Medical debate has raged over the safety of MMR following claims that it is linked to autism and bowel disease.

The combined jab is given to a child at 12 to 15 months old and a second dose at between three and five years old.

Ms Booth, a journalist, told the Mail on Sunday: "Where my daughter’s health is concerned, I’m more inclined to believe information I find on the internet than to swallow advice from a government leaflet.

"How can a government, which in one breath advises us to check the labels on food for additives and E numbers, then so breezily recommend vaccinations containing mercury and formaldehyde for babies less than nine weeks old?"

Ms Booth, who has refused to allow her 12-month-old daughter, Alexandra, to have the MMR jab, said doctors receive generous bonuses if they meet government vaccination targets.

This, she said, had led to pressure from GPs keen to get extra money from the NHS. "When it comes to the MMR, the Department of Health and many GPs are more attuned with the bullying tactics of Labour whips than the deep-rooted fears of the average parent."

The Department of Health insists that MMR is the most effective way to protect children against the three diseases.