JABS ROW
EU doubles down on threat to block 19m Covid vaccine doses to Britain as jabs war boils over
THE EU has doubled down on its threat to block 19million Covid vaccine doses to Britain as the continent's jab war boils over.
European Commissioner for financial services Mairead McGuinness today vowed that "everything is on the table" after the bloc threatened to block exports to the UK.
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She said EU leaders will hold crunch talks this week after Ursula von der Leyen threatened to join Germany and France in the blockade.
The EU's shambolic jab rollout, combined with a sharp rise in infections, has seen large swathes of the continent plunged back into lockdown in the past week.
And the bloc has blamed its vaccine programme’s problems on AstraZeneca not producing enough of the jabs.
When asked if the EU will "seriously" block AstraZeneca’s supplies from reaching Britain, she told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: "Leaders will meet this week and make an assessment about the current situation and perhaps make decisions."
She added: "As Ursula von der Leyen said, everything is on table but there are no decisions.
"We've put everything on the table, we've been open and transparent, and we invite others to do the same."
The rest of the world is looking at the Commission on how it conducts itself. If contracts get broken that's a very damaging thing to happen for a trading bloc that prides itself on the rule of law.
Ben Wallace
It comes after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threatened to team up with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel to withhold doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Britain.
But Defence Minister Ben Wallace said the commission "knows deep down the world is watching what happens" and said it would suffer "reputational damage" if it went ahead with the blockade.
He told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "The rest of the world is looking at the Commission on how it conducts itself.
"If contracts get broken that's a very damaging thing to happen for a trading bloc that prides itself on the rule of law."
A total of 19million jabs are due to be shipped to the UK in the coming weeks.
But an export block would delay Britain’s jabs roll-out, as many of our supplies come from factories on the continent.
The plan, already backed by Macron and Merkel, will be discussed on Thursday at a European Council Summit.
'ILLEGAL' MOVE
However a senior British Government official last night told that the move would be illegal.
They said: “The reality is our contract with AstraZeneca is rock-solid and better than the EU's, and we're only getting what we helped to develop and pay for.”
It comes after Ms von der Leyen told AstraZeneca Europe would block all vaccine supplies leaving the continent if the EU does not receive its deliveries first.
In an interview with Germany's Funke media group Ms von der Leyen said: "We have the option of banning a planned export.
"That's the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries."
And earlier this week she said: "All options are on the table. We are in the crisis of the century and I’m not ruling out anything for now because we have to make sure Europeans are vaccinated as soon as possible."
AstraZeneca's fellow drugs giant Pfizer has urged the EU to back down on its threats, warning that production could "grind to a halt" if Britain retaliates.
Vital ingredients for the Pfizer vaccine are made in Yorkshire.
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Britain is now ramping up jab production in Britain to ensure the UK can be self sufficient should a vaccine war disrupt future supplies.
Boris Johnson has ordered a massive push increase our output and make us less reliant on imported doses.
And ministers will be discussing options with producers in the coming weeks to draw up an action plan.
A senior government source said: “We’re of the view that we need an improved security of supply.
“It’s not just for the current vaccination programme but for the long term future.
"Coronavirus is going to be with us for some time and we want to avoid supplies being held up for any reason if booster jabs are required in the years ahead.”
Mr Wallace confirmed today: "We are always looking at how we explore expanding that capacity, whether that's at home or with other international partners."
It comes in the midst of the EU's shambolic jab rollout, which has been plagued by issue after issue.
EU leaders, including Macron, were criticised earlier this year for making baseless allegations about the efficacy of the AstraZeneca jab in older patients, which has fuelled a wave of anti-vax sentiment.
More than a dozen EU nations halted use of the vaccine over unsubstantiated fears it may trigger blood clots.
But leaders later admitted it was a political decision.
It was confirmed yesterday that more than half of the UK’s adult population has now received a first dose of a Covid vaccine.
According to official data, 26,853,407 had been given their first dose by March 19 while 2,132,551 had been given their second.
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And Mr Johnson - who received his first dose on Friday - has pledged to offer a jab to everyone aged 18 or over in the UK by the end of July 2021.
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The PM tweeted yesterday: "More than half the adult population of the UK have now received their first jab.
"Many thanks to everyone involved in this fantastic achievement. Let’s keep going!"
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EU threatens to ban exports of vaccines to UK unless we send them more jabs
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