The booster rollout has dominated the past week. In the last 24 hours, we’ve had a Sunday morning media round by Nadhim Zahawi, a vaccine broadcast statement by Boris, and a Monday morning media round by Sajid Javid. Yet one person has been conspicuously absent: the vaccines minister herself.
Guido can’t see a time Maggie Throup’s done any media since her disastrous Question Time appearance on the 2 December, during which the audience laughed at her. Social media is no better. The last time Throup said anything on vaccines:
She hasn’t posted on Instagram since 2019. Most unbelievably, she hasn’t spoken in the Commons since 30 November. What exactly is she doing?
Compared to the powerhouse that was Nadhim Zahawi, Throup has been totally invisible since her appointment. This morning Sajid was asked who is running the vaccine rollout, and replied that while Throup is doing a “really important job”, he is “personally running” the jab programme:
It begs the question why didn’t the PM just make that decision at the reshuffle, and save the taxpayer Throup’s £22,475 Ministerial salary…
