UK has missed chances to prepare for future pandemics, says ex-vaccines tsar

Kate Bingham suggests lessons not learned about need for scientific and commercial expertise in government

Opportunities have been missed to prepare the UK for future pandemics, the former vaccines tsar has said.

Dame Kate Bingham, the managing partner at the life sciences venture capital firm SV Health Investors, played a crucial role in the UK's efforts to vaccinate the population against Covid. As head of the UK vaccine taskforce between May and December 2020, she led a team that persuaded the government to back a wide portfolio of potential jabs, securing millions of doses.