Overview

• Dr Aseem Malhotra delivered Reform UK’s only main-stage health speech in Birmingham, claiming mRNA vaccines are unsafe and alleging without evidence that they contributed to cancers in the Royal Family and to deaths worldwide.
• Reform UK said Malhotra was a guest with his own opinions and that the party does not endorse his remarks, while defending his right to speak.
• Health leaders, including the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges chair Jeanette Dickson, cautioned that elevating non‑evidence‑based views puts lives at risk, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the claims as irresponsible.
• Malhotra serves as chief medical adviser to MAHA Action linked to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose tenure as US health secretary has included cancelling $500m in mRNA funding and dismissing the 17‑member immunisation advisory committee.
• Official analyses cited by reporters note vaccines prevented an estimated 127,500 deaths in England during the initial rollout, with 63 deaths recorded as involving the vaccines up to July 2023, against a backdrop of concern over declining childhood immunisation rates.