Kirkcaldy MP appointed to new role as shadow vaccine spokesman

The move sees him promoted within the Inclusion and Wellbeing team.

The new appointment should come as no surprise, with Mr Hanvey seen as one of the SNP’s strongest performers in Westminster, and a vocal critic of the UK government’s handling of the Covid pandemic.

He recently raised concerns about the accuracy of lateral flow tests in the British Medical Journal, and the former nurse was also behind a cross-party campaign to improve the supply of PPE in conjunction with EveryDoctor, a grass-roots organisation that advocates on behalf of doctors across the UK.

Mr Hanvey is already the SNP member and spokesman for the Health and Social Care Select Committee at Westminster. Prior to entering politics, he spent 25 years in the NHS, latterly as the divisional nurse director for rare cancer at the Royal Marden Hospital.

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He said: “I’m looking forward to playing my part in making sure Scotland has the necessary supplies of vaccines as we look to recover from the pandemic.

“These are obviously still challenging times and we’ve got a lot of work to do to drive the numbers down, but the vaccine rollout offers a clear light at the end of the tunnel. Around 96 percent of all residents in older adult care homes across Scotland have already received a first dose.

“I’ll be drawing on all my experience from my time in the NHS and on the health committee to stand up for folk in Scotland.”

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