UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain has not stopped a single vaccine export leaving the country as tension rises with Europe over accusations from Brussels that London is hoarding its supplies.
Amid counter-claims that the European Commission is portraying Britain as a “vaccine bogeyman” to offset its own inoculation problems, the spat between the UK and the EU has become increasingly acrimonious. The dispute comes as global anger grows over the imbalance of supplies between countries and continents.
Mr Johnson was forced to defend the UK in parliament on Wednesday, telling politicians “we have not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine”. He added that he opposed vaccine nationalism “in all its forms”.
The row over the EU’s slow vaccine delivery was reignited after Charles Michel, the European Commission President, accused the UK of “vaccine nationalism” on Tuesday and said it had imposed an “outright ban” on exports of its Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Britain’s fury at the accusation gathered pace after UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused Mr Michel of making “completely false claims” and called in the EU’s senior UK representative for a dressing down.
British officials are incensed over Mr Michel’s comments, which were made in a newsletter, seeing them as an attempt to divert attention from the EU’s dilatory vaccine programme. While Britain has inoculated 35 per cent of its adult population, the EU lags behind at only 9 per cent.
“It says something that Turkey is ahead of Europe on its vaccination distribution programme,” said Dr Alan Mendoza, director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank in London. “This is clearly a bid to cover the EU’s embarrassment. They have to find a bogeyman and Britain is a convenient bogeyman at the moment because of the whole Brexit issue.”
Post-Brexit politics have played a part in the row since Britain independently developed, ordered, regulated and distributed its vaccines before EU states.
The European Commission has faced criticism, including from member states, for being slow to order vaccines and certify them.
Some European countries have also compounded EU failings by disparaging Britain’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with the false claim that it was ineffective for people aged over 65.
"This latest claim is particularly extraordinary given the lurid EU claims made about the inadequacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the early days," Dr Mendoza said. "This is another example of them trying to blame Britain when it turns out that in the real world ... AstraZeneca is better than Pfizer."
With 450 million people to vaccinate in the EU, Mr Michel has called for patience in what will be a marathon effort, but some EU countries have begun importing their own vaccines from China and Russia.
The political pressure is growing, with more questions being asked about why the European Commission is not doing more to speed up its vaccination programme.
“If I was a European, I’d be demanding answers from my national government as to why the EU failed repeatedly to do so, but rather than confess to this, they've played the blame game,” Dr Mendoza said.
Mr Michel’s assertions that the EU has not banned exports have also been questioned after Italy used an EU export control mechanism last week to block a shipment of 250,000 vaccine doses to Australia. Exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Britain to Australia then replaced the European supplies.
In a strongly worded statement, the British Foreign Office said, “The UK has not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine. Any references to a UK export ban or any restrictions on vaccines are completely false.”
Last month, Britain also exported 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Ghana and has provided $734 million for the Covax global vaccination programme.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJustine%20Triet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESandra%20Huller%2C%20Swann%20Arlaud%2C%20Milo%20Machado-Graner%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
INFO
Everton 0
Arsenal 0
Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 5
Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'
Huddersfield 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Sour%20Grapes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZakaria%20Tamer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESyracuse%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale