PRISONERS could be next in line to get a Covid vaccine. 

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has refused to rule out the prospect of prison inmates and staff being vaccinated en masse in the next phase of the rollout of the coronavirus jab.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is due to publish its recommendations on who should get the vaccine once the rollout to the first nine priority groups – including the over-50s – is complete.

While Mr Buckland said prisoners will not be prioritised over other groups, he also emphasised the need for speed and for protecting prison staff.

“Prisoners will not be getting priority. At the moment they are vaccinated in accordance with the current guidelines, in accordance with what is happening in the community,” he told LBC.

“What is clear is that the need for speed is everything here. I will be supporting anything that gives us speed and maximises the impact that it has.

“Prisons are a closed environment, like care homes. I have got to think about the welfare of staff. I am particularly anxious to make sure that prison staff get the vaccine.

“I very much hope the JCVI will reinforce that message and allow ministers to make that informed decision as soon as possible.”

In Parliament on January 13, Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana asked vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi if the Government had considered prioritising prisoners for jabs - which she said would be a "humane approach to a completely disenfranchised population".

Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison and Stockton South MP Matt Vickers took to Twitter to voice disagreement. 

When asked, some 45 Northern Echo readers agreed with the conservative MPs, with many saying prison staff should be vaccinated first but not prisoners themselves.