The Long Shot: The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain

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Kate Bingham’s new book, The Long Shot, is a gripping account of the UK Government Vaccine Task Force’s response to the pandemic by a remarkable, determined, thoughtful, and practical individual who was at the heart of the critical decisions that had to be made. I spoke with her frequently through 2020 as we battled logistical headwinds and the media storms in development of the Oxford vaccine and was always better for our chats, absorbing the positive energy that she emanates and benefiting from her wisdom. Her clarity of thought and action in a such a dark and turbulent time is a seam running through the book, and I know for certain that her efforts saved many lives. But I have to disagree with the title, because the book shows that it really wasn’t such a "long shot" with Kate at the helm.' At the beginning of April 2020 Bingham was told that the likelihood of a Covid-19 vaccine working was 15% at best. However, the first NHS patient received a vaccination on December 8 of the same year and nearly every UK resident has now had the jab. Bingham describes how she juggled suppliers, Whitehall, the media circus and the political manoeuvring and administrative meddling that nearly jeopardised the project. Bingham and Hames also look at how the effective application of science can solve the world’s problems if it is delivered with a sharp focus on outcomes.

Then one day, when he came to do the windows, he asked ‘can I say something?’ I said yes of course. And he just replied ‘f---ing good job’. And I just thought that was the best thing ever.” If I had ever been asked the question “What is the biggest threat to the success of the VTF?” the honest answer would have been “Large parts of the rest of Whitehall”‘ For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. This is an incredible account of the behind the scenes efforts of Kate and the VTF which secured for the UK early access to vaccines for COVID. The petty, sometimes malicious behaviour of Government officials and Departments is laid bare and they ought to hang their heads in shame, along with some sections of the British media. In the seven months in 2020 that she spent as the unpaid head of the UK vaccine task force Kate Bingham moved mountains. Although the first contracts for the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine had already been signed and work was underway on dozens of others in several countries, the almost unparalleled nature of the pandemic emergency required something else — an ability to put it all together and make it happen.Benedict Macdonald Interviewed by Lucian Hudson Cornerstones: Wild Forces That Can Change Our World Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 2:00pm Fri 31 Friday, 31 March 2023 See this event Fast-paced and very compelling… The Vaccine Taskforce will always be remembered as British science at its very best.' Kate Bingham and Tim Hames The Long Shot: The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain Sheldonian Theatre 4:00pm Fri 31 Friday, 31 March 2023 See this event

Justin Schlosberg, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Iain Dale Chaired by Stephen Law Oxford Debate. Is Our Press Free . . . To Lie and Manipulate? SOLD OUT Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre 4:00pm Fri 31 Friday, 31 March 2023 See this event Bingham tapers off, before adding: “In hindsight, I should have pushed harder on some of the fights.” She stresses that the UK clearly has more manufacturing capacity than it did – the Government bought and repurposed a veterinary vaccine plant in Essex, for instance, while Moderna is setting up an mRNA vaccine manufacturing plant. Britain also invested in training, and expanded vaccine testing facilities at Porton Down. Catherine Ashton Voices of Europe. And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre 12:00pm Fri 31 Friday, 31 March 2023 See this event

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If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. But, as she works her way through the list, Bingham has saved her “biggest gripe” for last: leadership, expertise, and a reversion to an “adversarial” relationship with industry since her exit. Caroline Moorehead Interviewed by Alexandra Pringle Edda Mussolini: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe Exeter College: Marquee 10:00am Fri 31 Friday, 31 March 2023 See this event