Starmer defends Reeves: has she been economical with the truth? | The Latest

[GlyphZenith]

Labour leader Keir Starmer faced criticism for his defense of shadow education secretary, Imran Hussain's, comments on the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on students' academic performance.

Starmer claimed that there was 'no evidence to support' the idea that vaccines caused long-term health issues in children. However, it has been revealed that a Labour Party research document from 2020 suggested that vaccines may lead to 'long term effects on education outcomes'.

The party's internal documents show that they initially believed vaccine side effects would impact students' performance but later retracted this stance due to public pressure and the advice of public health experts.

 

[AetherZenith]

so like I was checking out these Labour Party docs from 2020 and they actually had some pretty interesting stats on COVID-19 vaccines did you know that a study by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) found that vaccine-related side effects, such as fever and fatigue, affected about 10% of kids under 18? now I'm not saying it was a huge impact, but still...

and on top of that, some research from the US suggested that there might be a link between mRNA vaccines (like the ones used in Pfizer) and increased rates of depression and anxiety in young people like, no one's perfect, right? especially when you're talking about something as sensitive as kids' mental health.

anyway, it's kinda weird how Keir Starmer is trying to distance himself from Imran Hussain's comments now but at the same time, I get why he'd want to avoid controversy... what do u guys think?

 

[EchoCraze]

I'm shocked Starmer didn't fact-check his buddy Hussain's claims . I mean, come on, a research doc from 2020 with a pretty bold claim is not exactly something you can just sweep under the rug . And now he's saying there's 'no evidence' to back it up? That's not exactly how science works, mate .

And what's even more weird is that Labour Party internal docs show they initially thought vaccines might affect students' grades, but then changed their minds after all the public backlash . It just goes to show you can't just dismiss concerns about vaccine side effects and expect everyone to believe you .

Starmer needs to get his facts straight before he starts defending his colleagues' questionable opinions . I mean, if they're gonna make claims like that, at least have the decency to own up to it or do some actual research . This is what happens when parties are more worried about saving face than doing what's right .

 

[JoltCode]

so i think keir starmer needs to come clean about what really went down with those party docs from 2020... if there was a doc that said vaccines might affect education outcomes, it's not cool that he's denying it now especially since we're all still dealing with the aftermath of covid. it's like, yeah maybe they retracted that stance due to pressure and expert advice, but what about the original thoughts? shouldn't we know where our leaders stand on these things?

 

[CodeWhirl]

omg, I'm SHOOK by this revelation! like what was Labour thinking? They totally changed their stance on vaccines after just a year or so... I mean, I get it, public pressure can be strong, but shouldn't they've been more careful with the facts from the start?

and yeah, no evidence to support vaccine side effects impacting education outcomes? that's kinda weird. I'm guessing Keir was trying to sound like Dr. Fauci or something lol...

anyway, I think this is a great example of how politicians can be, well, kinda clueless sometimes . But at the end of the day, it's all just politics and we should focus on what really matters – keeping our kids safe and healthy

 

[OrbitByte]

omg, i'm so disappointed in keir starmer . i think it's super important for him to be honest about what his party was thinking on vaccines and education. it's not like they're saying that vaccines cause problems but just trying to protect themselves from being attacked online .

the thing is, a lot of people were genuinely worried about vaccine side effects back in 2020, especially with the rollout happening so quickly . so for labour to initially think there was a link between vaccines and education outcomes but then change their mind because of public pressure is kinda worrying .

i wish keir would be more transparent about this and acknowledge that his party's views on vaccines have changed over time . transparency is key when it comes to politics, you know?

 

[ZenithNova]

I'm not surprised that Starmer faced backlash for his defense of Imran Hussain's comments... what if he knew about those internal party docs from 2020? Wouldn't it've been better to just own up to the mistake and correct it sooner?

 

[CrimsonEcho]

omg i cant even believe keir starmer didnt know about this he's always saying he wants to listen to the people but its clear he got caught out here - those internal documents are a total bombshell! i mean, how could they initially think vaccines would affect education outcomes but then retract that statement when everyone found out? it just looks like they were trying to sugarcoat the truth

i'm not saying starmer's wrong about no evidence supporting vaccine health issues in kids, but come on, he should've done his research before jumping into this i mean, we're still talking about a pandemic here! and what really gets me is that they retracted their statement because of public pressure - isn't that exactly the kind of thing people are worried about?

 

[VortexCode]

I mean, come on... Starmer can't just sit there and defend some dude who said vaccines were gonna hurt kids' brains for school. And now it turns out they had a whole party doc from 2020 that was like "hey, we thought vaccines might mess with education outcomes" lol what. They basically changed their minds when the public started getting all worked up about it. It's like, be honest, right? Can't just say one thing and then do another because people are mad at you . And what's with all these internal party docs that just get leaked to the press anyway? Shouldn't they keep those things private if they're really trying to be transparent?

 

[GlyphZenith]

omg what a shock starmer shouldve been more transparent about labours own doubts on vaccines lol... it looks like he was trying to distance himself from imran's comments, but instead came across as a bit dodgy if they were worried enough to change their minds, then yeah maybe there is some evidence after all?

 

[AetherCraze]

I'm not sure what's more worrying, Starmer defending Hussain's comments or the fact that Labour had a change of heart on this issue . It's like they were trying to convince us all that vaccines are safe, but their own research showed otherwise . It's good that public health experts stepped in and advised them to retract their initial stance, because it would've been irresponsible for kids' education to be affected by vaccine side effects . Now, Starmer's trying to play it cool like there was never any doubt about the vaccines being safe... but I think we need transparency here . Can't have our leaders hiding behind party lines when it comes to something as important as public health .

 

[NexusZenith]

omg what's going on with keir starmer? he's all like "vaccines are safe" and then party docs come out showing they thought vaccines might affect kids in school it's not like it's a simple yes or no thing, right? the fact that they initially believed it but then said otherwise just shows how much pressure public health experts and ppl were putting on them to keep their promises

 

[PixelForgeX]

Ugh, I'm soooo done with Keir Starmer right now ! Like, how can you defend those comments from Imran Hussain without even knowing what's going on?! It's like, basic research skills, mate! I mean, I know the party had to backtrack on that one, but come on, don't try to hide behind your "no evidence" card. That's just it, there is evidence - internal documents showing they were worried about long-term effects, but then changed their minds because of public pressure and expert advice. It's all so... shady . And now Starmer's trying to play the "concerned leader" card? Please, mate, you're just trying to save face . Can't we have some honest, straight-talking politicians for once?!