PMQs: Boris Johnson rejects EU’s claim about vaccine exports
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The Prime Minister lashed out in the House of Commons at claims Britain has blocked the export of coronavirus jabs. Addressing the allegations he told MPs the EU had shared misinformation by accusing the UK of blocking vaccines from leaving the country.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman this afternoon said Mr Johnson made the unusual statement because he wanted to “set the record straight”.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has also written to European Council president Charles Michel to criticise the remarks and a senior EU representative summoned to the Foreign Office for an official telling off.
Mr Johnson said in the Commons this afternoon: “The whole House can be proud of the UK’s vaccination programme, with over 22.5 million people now having received their first dose across the UK.
“We can also be proud of the support the UK has given to the international Covid response, including the £548million we have donated to Covax.
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“I therefore wish to correct the suggestion from the European Council president that the UK has blocked vaccine exports.
“Let me be clear: we have not blocked the export of a single COVID-19 vaccine or vaccine components.
“This pandemic has put us all on the same side in the battle for global health; we oppose vaccine nationalism in all its forms.”
Mr Michel had yesterday written in a newsletter sent to 20,000 Europeans that the UK had imposed an outright ban on all exports of coronavirus vaccines.
“The United Kingdom and the United States have imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory,” he said.
“But the European Union, the region with the largest vaccine production capacity in the world, has simply put in place a system for controlling the export of doses produced in the EU.”
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In previous months Mr Johnson has been eager to steer clear of criticising the EU’s vaccination efforts or comments they have made about the UK’s immunisation programme.
His intervention this afternoon was highly unusual after having kept quiet on the issue of so long.
Explaining the unexpected comments, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I think the Prime Minister wanted to make clear to everyone and on the record the facts that he set out.
“We have not blocked any exports of a single COVID-19 vaccine or any vaccine components and therefore any references to a UK export ban are simply false.
“I think he just wanted to put that on record.”
While EU sources say the bloc exported 34 million doses of coronavirus jabs since the start of February, including 9 million to the UK, No10 would not be drawn on how many Britain had sent abroad.
The No10 official said: “The movement of vaccines and their components into and out of the UK is driven by contractual obligations that vaccine suppliers have to their customers.”
He said it was not for the Government to comment on private contractual agreements.
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