HOW ORDINARY PEOPLE ARE GETTING AN EARLY JAB

Some people have managed to skip Britain’s vaccine queue without the help of luxury concierge services.

Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood, who is 59, said he had received the Pfizer vaccine after he joined a queue for leftover doses at a nearby hospital.

He added: “It’s not very well known but at the end of the day any vaccine unused because people have not turned up for their appointments is made available.”

Mr Mahmood was at the hospital to accompany an elderly relative who was to receive the vaccine.

NHS trusts have insisted that the jabs are by appointment only and people should not turn up unexpectedly or contact hospitals in the hope of getting one. Trusts are being encouraged to use leftover doses to vaccinate their own staff.