Is the UK about to be forced into a vaccine war? That’s the concern in Westminster after Brussels upped the ante over a potential vaccine export ban. Ursula von der Leyen suggested last week that the European Commission could block vaccine exports to countries with a high volume of jabs already. Now an EU official has said that the EU will rebuff any British government calls to ship Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines from a factory in the Netherlands.
The primary complaint among EU leaders is that AstraZeneca is yet to make good on its contractual obligations to them and deliver them the number of doses first promised. The Dutch plant can make between five and six million doses a month so has the potential to boost supply for both the UK and EU. The UK helped to develop the plant — sending engineers there for the setup. What’s more, the doses currently being made there can’t actually be used in the EU yet as they still need to be approved by the regulator.
The primary complaint among EU leaders is that AstraZeneca is yet to make good on its contractual obligations to them
While all this has led to frantic headlines, it’s worth pointing out that no direct request has yet been made by the UK — and there will be no final decision by the EU until Thursday when EU leaders are due to meet virtually to discuss a ban.
The Prime Minister will make calls to EU leaders in advance of their meeting in an attempt to talk them down. A
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in