England plans to revoke mandatory COVID jabs for health workers

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government said on Monday it planned to revoke mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for health workers in England after warnings that an already-stretched service could face crippling staff shortages.

Health minister Sajid Javid said the government would launch a consulation into whether the policy announced in November was still needed.

"While vaccination remains our very best line of defence against COVID-19 I believe that it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of deployment through statute," Javid told parliament.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill)