Sajid Javid today blasted “unethical” mandatory Covid vaccines - hours after his boss called for a “national conversation”.
The Health Secretary hosed down speculation that Boris Johnson was considering the idea after his surprise remarks in a No10 press conference.
Mr Johnson prompted Tory fury when he said “we're going to need to have a national conversation about the way forward” on unvaccinated people.
The Prime Minister added “I don't believe we can keep going indefinitely” with lockdown measures “just because” many people are not vaccinated.
But Tory MP Angela Richardson, a government aide, tweeted: “I can say categorically that compulsory vaccinations are a step too far.
“That is my contribution to a national conversation.”
And today Mr Javid branded mandatory jabs “unethical” - except for NHS and care home staff, where he has pushed them through as a condition of the job.
He told BBC Breakfast: “The Prime Minister would probably agree with me about mandatory jabs.
“I don’t think there’s a need for a debate on mandatory jabs at all.
“Perhaps the Prime Minister was just referring to what we’ve already set out in Parliament, in certain high risk settings and the requirements for NHS and social care workers to vaccinate, and I think that is important.”
Mr Johnson made the remarks in last night’s press conference. He said: "I didn't want us to have a society and a culture where we force people to get vaccinated.
"I think that there is going to come a point... if we can show that the vaccine is capable of holding Omicron, that's the key thing that I think we need to test.
"I do think we are going to have to have a conversation about ways in which we deal with this pandemic.
"I want to be absolutely clear, I don't believe we can keep going indefinitely with non-pharmaceutical interventions, I mean, restrictions on people's way of life, just because a substantial proportion of the population still sadly has not got vaccinated.
"I think we're going to need to have a national conversation about the way forward and the other things that we can do to protect those who are hard to reach who haven't got vaccinated for one reason or another.
"That is a stage I think we will come to if and when we establish that the booster is effective against Omicron.
"We will have to talk seriously about moving on."
The comments worsened a Tory revolt Mr Johnson is already facing for bringing in vaccine passports in nightclubs and crowded venues to tackle Omicron.
The PM made a last-minute tweak to the passports plan that will allow unvaccinated people into venues if they show a negative test result.
The PM also announced work-from-home guidance will return from Monday, and mask laws will be extended to more settings in England from 12.01am on Friday.
But Conservative backbenchers openly questioned the Government’s “credibility” in being able to enforce the rules after last year’s Downing Street party.
The Health Secretary admitted he pulled out of a round of TV interviews on Wednesday because he was "upset" by a video in which No10 staff joked about the bash.
Mr Javid said he was against "universal" mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations.
Speaking to Sky News, the Health Secretary said: "I've got no interest in mandatory vaccinations, apart from in high-risk settings in the NHS and social care, which we've already set out that we will legislate for.
"Other than that, if you talk about universal mandatory vaccination, I think ethically it is wrong but also, at a very practical level, it just wouldn't work.
"Getting vaccinated has to be a positive decision."
Asked whether more restrictions could be coming in January due to social mixing occurring over the Christmas period, he did not rule it out.
Mr Javid replied: "I hope not. The action we've taken is very decisive, I think it is going to make a big difference."
