UK Rebuts EU Claims of Vaccine Export Ban

Strategic Insights -

The UK government has pushed back against European Union claims that it had imposed an "outright ban" on coronavirus vaccine exports, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson asserting that the country had not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine. In a statement to the Commons, Johnson highlighted the UK's vaccination programme, which has seen over 22.5 million people receive their first dose, and emphasized the country's commitment to international cooperation in responding to the pandemic. The UK's Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, had written to European Council President Charles Michel to correct the record, stating that any references to a UK export ban or restrictions on vaccines were "completely false". The diplomatic row follows a claim by Michel that the UK and the US had imposed bans on vaccine exports, with the EU accusing the two countries of engaging in "vaccine nationalism".

Key Takeaways:

  • The UK government has denied claims by EU officials that it had imposed an "outright ban" on coronavirus vaccine exports, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating that the country had not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine.
  • The UK's vaccination programme has seen over 22.5 million people receive their first dose, with the country donating over £548 million to the Covax programme.
  • The UK has opposed vaccine nationalism in all its forms, with Johnson stating that the pandemic has "put us all on the same side in the battle for global health".
  • European Council President Charles Michel accused the UK and the US of imposing bans on vaccine exports, stating that "the facts do not lie".
  • The EU has put in place a system for controlling the export of doses produced in the EU, but has not imposed an outright ban on vaccine exports.
  • The diplomatic row has seen a senior EU diplomat summoned to the Foreign Office, and a meeting between the Deputy EU Ambassador to the UK, Nicole Mannion, and the Foreign Office's Permanent Under-Secretary, Sir Philip Barton.

Statistics:

  • Over 22.5 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
  • The UK has donated over £548 million to the Covax programme.
  • The EU has donated vaccines to countries around the world, and has a system in place for controlling the export of doses produced in the EU.
  • The UK and the EU have different measures in place to address the global distribution of vaccines.

Sources:

  • The Prime Minister's statement to the Commons on 10 February
  • Dominic Raab's letter to European Council President Charles Michel
  • A Foreign Office spokesman's statement
  • The EU delegation's statement
  • The European Commission's statement by Eric Mamer, spokesman for President Ursula von der Leyen.