Former Prime Minister Tony Blair Speaks to Aasmah & Stig on the Vaccination Rollout and More

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has told Times Radio that it was sensible to think about vaccinating younger people in areas where there were particular problems with Coronavirus

"I think, yes, absolutely you should take a differentiated approach, which is perfectly natural as you get into the final stages of the vaccination rollout. There are some areas, that will be bigger priorities than others, and it's probably sensible when you go into those areas not simply to vaccinate the risk population which is usually the more elderly population, but also to make sure that you're reaching the younger people as well who can spread it. So no, I think that's, taking a more varied approach to the way we do the vaccine rollout at this stage, given the problems and the challenge of Indian variant is absolutely sensible."

He told Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell on Times Radio Breakfast hat there are obstacles to getting people vaccinated in poorer countries

This year we have the capacity If we take the right steps now to vaccinate at least the most vulnerable in the world:, key workers and those in main urban centres, because it is in those types of setting you get the new variants arising...The risk is you ge tthe disease circulating elswhere in the world...I don't think there is much opposition [to vaccinating more people around the world]. It's just a question of organising it but the organization's quite difficult because you've got to make sure that you're organising and repurposing facilities that are producing vaccine. But then you've also got to make sure that those countries in the world that are then taking the vaccine have the capacity to absorb it and vaccinate their people.

On the situation in Gaza and Israel, Mr Blair said that the conflict won't end until "both sides have made the points they want to make"

"It's just a familiar pattern and it's a heart breaking one because so many innocent people get caught up in the tragedy. Look, I still work on this, I've office out in the Middle East. We still do a lot of work on this issue. My view is that these periodic conflicts will arise and continue arising until you deal with the underlying issues...What I've been arguing for these past years is completely new and different approach to tackling this issue, which involves the region as a whole. And I don't think you'll get a resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict until you get the proper involvement of the entire Middle East region, and at the moment that's not happening. So, of course, everyone can call for de-escalation, call for the conflict to end, but it won't until both sides have made the point they want to make, and that's just the tragic reality I'm afraid."