The Long Shot — Kate Bingham on Britain’s Covid vaccine rollout
When Kate Bingham was first asked to lead the UK government’s vaccine task force (VTF), her instinct was to refuse. The no-nonsense life sciences venture capitalist was reluctant to take responsibility for potentially “wasting” a vast amount of public money by pursuing jabs that would almost certainly fail.
In May 2020, Bingham believed a successful Covid-19 vaccine was “the longest of long shots”. Yet in the two years since her team ensured that the UK had the first approved shot in the west, we have swiftly forgotten how precipitously the odds were stacked against success.
So far, pandemic books have been split into two camps: tales of the triumphant scientists behind the winning vaccines, and accounts of the disastrous decisions made by politicians. In The Long Shot, Bingham and her co-author Tim Hames take us inside the team that overnight became responsible for bridging the two.
Bingham was disturbed to discover that much of the briefing had come from inside Downing Street, from advisers who failed to understand that she was just trying to spread the word about vaccines, not promote herself. She paints a sympathetic picture of an isolated and bewildered outsider — though neglects the broader context: the costly contracts for PPE that critics deemed highly questionable. The VIP lane for suppliers with government connections, later criticised as unlawful by the High Court, had put the press on high alert. The authors, however, are largely silent on this.
The Long Shot is published as readers appear to have tired of Covid-19 and the miraculous vaccines have become more of a seasonal chore. But with the UK government in turmoil, this compelling book may be most valuable as a fresh vision for how to lead in a crisis. Bingham believes Whitehall must focus on outcome, not just process; reward tempo, and punish failure to act; and that the prime minister must appoint the cabinet based on skills and experience; rather than just loyalty. Right now, that really does feel like a long shot.
The Long Shot: The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain, by Kate Bingham and Tim Hames, Oneworld £18.99, 336 pages
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Hannah Kuchler
