Mystery grows over Blair MMR jab

The confusion over whether Tony Blair and his wife have had their son inoculated with the MMR jab deepened today as No 10 refused to deny reports they delayed giving Leo the injection.

According to the Sun today, the delay is because Leo, aged 18 months, could not be given the jab safely because he was suffering a cold. Asked about the report a Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister "chose his words carefully" in his Saturday night statement, widely interpreted as indicating Leo had the jab.

In fact, the statement only denied that Mr Blair and wife Cherie were "deliberately refraining from giving our child the treatment because we know it is dangerous". But today's words left open the possibility that the Sun report may be accurate, and the feeling in Whitehall was No 10 had now ensured the speculation would continue over the Christmas holiday.

The Sun report also said Leo will have the injection when he is completely free of the cold, but Downing Street refused to confirm or deny this.

Doctors claimed the row over Leo's injection has led to a growing number of patients seeking alternatives to the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccination, which some claim can lead to autism.

Government advice is that all children should be given the vaccine.

The Blairs have cited privacy concerns as their reason for refusing to publish details of Leo's medical record. No10's statement from the Prime Minister on Saturday said he and Cherie supported vaccination, and it was "offensive beyond belief " to suggest they were being hypocritical.

However, public health minister Yvette Cooper has made a point of saying her children had the MMR jab.

Opposition politicians are split on whether the Blairs should come clean. Tory health spokesman Dr Liam Fox said that though Mr Blair was right to keep family medical details private, the Prime Minister had wasted an opportunity to reassure parents of the vaccine's safety.

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said "the easiest thing would just be to put the issue to rest" with a confirmation Leo has been immunised. He appeared to contradict his health spokesman, Dr Evan Harris, who said Mr Blair should resist calls to compromise his son's privacy.

Dr Peter Mansfield, the Worcester GP who has championed single jabs, today told BBC Radio 4: "The public are increasingly suspicious. The public health community is trying to bully people. People are defecting in droves from a policy which is flawed, not necessarily on the science but on its ethics. Single vaccines make more sense because the diseases come singly."

"If parents wish to go to the extra trouble of having it, there is no reason why they shouldn't. The end result is that everybody gets vaccinated; at the moment the result is 80 per cent get vaccinated."

Asked about the Blair family's right to privacy, Dr Mansfield said: "They stand in front of No10 holding the baby for photographs when it suits them. I don't see why they can necessarily duck out of all publicity when they are prepared to use the children."

But Dr Harris said: "We have a classic health scare situation. I think there are some people who will never be satisfied. And at what price in terms of people's privacy?.

"In this case, because I have seen the research and I know that MMR is safe ... I think that it is absolutely right that the Government should give out this message. And I don't think that one should try and get a public health message across by going into details of children of politicians."