Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted Wednesday he "was a little too undiplomatic" when he told people who are still unvaccinated despite being eligible and lacking health problems that they are "an idiot."
"Frankly, if you're not vaccinated at the moment and you're eligible and you've got no health reason for not being vaccinated, you're not just irresponsible, I mean you're an idiot," Blair said told Times Radio.
"I'm sorry, I mean that is, truthfully you are," he continued. "Because this omicron variant is so contagious, if you're unvaccinated and you're in circulation, you're going to get it. And … that is going to put a lot of strain on the health service."
The former prime minister said Wednesday, "Possibly I was a little too undiplomatic in my use of language."
"We have got a piece of work out in the field at the moment as an institute, and I think the government should do the same – just investigating what is the profile, what are the reasons why people are not getting vaccinated," he added.
Blair also said he would be "immensely surprised" if the number of COVID-19 cases exceeded the official count of 100,000 that was recorded Wednesday.
"This is potentially the most serious moment in the pandemic," he said. "You are at risk because if your hospitalizations start to rise then it will – by the time you have noticed that, and you have got a terrible problem – it will be too late to do anything about it."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.