The Archbishop of Canterbury has slapped down Laurence Fox after the actor-turned-controversialist hit out at him for urging followers to get their booster jabs.
The Church of England tweeted a picture of Justin Welby receiving his third vaccine dose earlier this week, quoting the archbishop as saying: “It’s about loving your neighbour.”
Fox, a vaccine sceptic, responded sardonically: “Love your vaccinated neighbour, hate your unvaccinated neighbour as Jesus would have wanted.”
To which Welby replied: “Love them both by getting boosted.”
Welby this week said he was “disappointed” to see a photograph of a party at Conservative headquarters in December last year.
On Tuesday, the Daily Mirror published a photograph showing former Tory London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey – who challenged Sadiq Khan in the election – with more than 20 other people wearing party hats or holding drinks.
The archbishop said it is “clearly essential” that a culture of honesty should come from the Government amid a string of allegations about Covid rule-breaking parties held in Downing Street and elsewhere last year.
He told BBC Newscast: “First of all, obviously, we must obey the rules. Obviously, we must all obey the rules.
“Secondly, there’s an investigation going on. I won’t pre-judge that but we need to set an example.”
Welby added: “On a human level, I, just disappointed, really. I make so many mistakes myself, I’m not a big one for throwing stones…
“I don’t really do much on judging people, but we must obey the rules. We have to depersonalise it, let’s get away from that example, and I’d say: ‘Obey the rules, stick to the rules.’”
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