WHO powers could force UK into lockdown

LOCKDOWNS could be imposed on the UK by the World Health Organisation during a future pandemic under sweeping new powers, ministers fear.

Member states would be obliged to follow the agency’s instructions when responding to pandemics, including by introducing vaccine passports, border closures and quarantine measures, under a draft update to its regulations.

A new “pandemic treaty” under discussion would also force Britain to spend 5 per cent of its health budget on preparing for another virus outbreak.

Ministers are understood to be alarmed by plans to increase the WHO’S powers, including the requirement for countries to hand over the recipe for vaccines, regardless of intellectual property rights.

Conservative MPS have written to ministers to warn of an “ambition evident… for the WHO to transition from an advisory organisation to a controlling international authority”. In their letter, seen by The Daily Telegraph, they urged the Foreign Office to block powers that “appear to intrude materially into the UK’S ability to make its own rules and control its own budgets”.

Responding to the concerns, Andrew Mitchell, a Foreign Office minister, said that he would block any law that prevented the UK from setting its own health policy. He said: “The UK is supportive of the pandemic treaty, which could speed up the sharing of data on new pandemic threats.

“We’re clear that we would never agree to anything that crosses our points of principle on sovereignty or prevents the UK from taking decisive action against future pandemics.”

The rule changes have been proposed as part of plans to update the WHO’S international health regulations (IHRS) and establish a new pandemic preparedness treaty.

Among 300 proposed amendments to the IHRS are changes to make the WHO’S advice “binding” and introduce a new requirement for countries to recognise it as the global authority on public health measures. Six Conservative MPS led by Esther Mcvey, the former Cabinet minister, have written to Mr Mitchell to call for a Commons vote on the draft treaty and regulations before they are signed.

Ms Mcvey said: “The plans represent a significant shift for the organisation, from a member-led advisory body to a health authority with powers of compulsion.

“This is particularly worrying when you consider the WHO’S poor track record on providing consistent, clear and scientifically sound advice for managing international disease outbreaks.”

The letter has also been signed by the Tory MPS Sir John Redwood, David Davis, Philip Davies, Sir Christopher Chope and Danny Kruger.