A POLITICAL row has broken out over reports that Covid-19 vaccine supplies are being slashed in this region to boost areas of the country that have made less progress with the roll-out.

Leaders of West Yorkshire’s five councils, including Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe of Bradford Council, have urged the Government to reverse a decision to “halve” the allocation of vaccine to this region.

They claim the move would cause anxiety both for those waiting to be vaccinated and “already-stretched” NHS staff.

In a joint statement, they said: “If some parts of the country are progressing at a slower rate, the answer should be to support those areas not to penalise those that are delivering faster.”

But Conservative MP Philip Davies, whose Shipley constituency includes Cullingworth and Denholme, has accused Labour council leaders of seeking to make “political capital” out of the issue.

The reports first surfaced in the Health Service Journal, which said “well-placed sources” in the region had been told doses were being halved.

However, Mr Davies says he has been given assurances by a Government minister that the claims aren’t true. “I am not surprised that Labour council leaders are seeking to make political capital but am still disappointed that they are prepared to unduly worry vulnerable people to do so,” he added.