Oxford councillor leaves Labour after ‘private’ Covid vaccine post

Jamila Azad, who represents St Clements and Cowley Marsh on Oxfordshire County Council, and St Clements on Oxford City Council, said she had made in a mistake in how she worded the post, which has now been removed, and added the vaccine was given through the NHS.

But she has now resigned her membership of the Labour Party, saying she was upset and disappointed with how an investigation into the post was handled.

The NHS, regulatory bodies, and the police have all provided statements which appear to corroborate Mrs Azad’s claims.

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Speaking to this paper, Mrs Azad said: “This was a difficult time for me. I made a mistake in my private Facebook account. In my excitement of getting a Covid-19 jab I wanted to advocate it to my friends and family.

“I would like to take this opportunity to confirm I did not take the Covid-19 vaccine privately.”

The councillor added she had received an invitation to have a Covid jab from her GP and said she had been able to book an appointment in Birmingham to have the vaccine, despite being registered with an Oxford GP.

In her Facebook post, the councillor had written “My darling daughter took me to a Private Care Doctor for Covid 19 vaccine. A long wait for NHS waiting list. We had take away from Akber take away.”

Photographs accompanying the post showed Mrs Azad and another woman received vaccinations from a man in medical scrubs and PPE.

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A screenshot of the Facebook status shared by Jamila Azad, which has since been removed.

The Akbar restaurant mentioned in the post is in Birmingham, and is part of a small chain of Indian restaurants throughout the North of England and the Midlands.

In an angry email to other councillors sent last week, seen by this paper Mrs Azad expressed her disappointment at the Labour Party.

She also further explained her actions, and said her daughter knew ‘by her work that City of Birmingham are giving Pfizer’ and said she believed the Pfizer jab was more effective than other vaccines.

She added: “It was NHS Hospital and I didn’t pay any money. It was City of Birmingham hospital.”

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However, the councillor has not offered explanation for how she and her daughter had received an appointment for the vaccine at the same time, or how her daughter knew there were Pfizer jabs available in Birmingham.

It would be illegal for Covid jabs to be administered outside the NHS, as the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has only given it approval for use through the health service.

However, having investigated, the MHRA said it was ‘unable to identify any offences under medicines legislation’.

A spokesperson for the NHS in the Black Country and West Birmingham said: “An investigation by the CCG has found no evidence or suggestion that the vaccine was provided by a private care doctor or that it was provided in exchange for money.”

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West Midlands Police confirmed it had investigated and was taking no further action.

The Labour Party declined to comment on Mrs Azad’s resignation, but is treating the matter as closed because the councillor is no longer a member of the party.

Oxford City Council is currently considering a councillor code of conduct complaint against Mrs Azad.