UK accused of ‘Brexiteer ideology’ after rejecting EU vaccine scheme
The UK government has been criticised for opting out an EU scheme to ensure supplies of a future coronavirus vaccine are shared around the continent.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said taking part in the scheme would have limited the support the government could offer vaccine research programmes in the UK – a claim the EU strongly denied.
Human trials of two vaccine candidates led by the University of Oxford and Imperial College London are thought to be the most advanced of any in the world.
In a letter to the European
Commission, the UK’S ambassador to the bloc Sir Tim Barrow said that in order to take part, the UK “would be required to stop its negotiations with manufacturers with which the EU launched negotiations”.
Mr Barrow said it was “not possible for the UK to have a role in the governance shaping decisions on which manufacturers to negotiate with, or the price, volume and delivery schedule negotiated” if it was part of the EU scheme.
The ambassador said the UK would continue to collaborate with the EU on vaccine development, including sharing information on promising vaccine candidates and joint investment in manufacturing capacity. Mr Hancock told Times Radio taking part in the scheme “would not have allowed us to have a say in the vaccines, the price, the quantity or the delivery schedule… We think we will go faster this way.”
But earlier, an EU spokesman hit out at suggestions it would restrict research and manufacturing in the UK, saying the claims were “not true and misleading”.
Spokesman Eric Mamert said the EU would “always promote all means that would result in the quick discovery and production of a successful vaccine”, and that doses would be distributed fairly according to population.
Research charity the Wellcome Trust called on countries to “urgently” work together “if we’re to stand any chance of delivering global equitable access to a Covid-19 vaccine”.
The trust’s head of global policy, Alex Harris described the EU’S cap on doses based on population share as “the best way to ensure there is enough vaccine for those in need in the rest of the world.”
Mr Harris warned that vaccine manufacturing capacity was unlikely to be able to meet global demand, adding: “Delivering vaccine according to need and not who can pay the highest price, is not just morally right, but also the fastest way to end this pandemic.
“We urge the UK government to follow the EU’S lead and only secure vaccine doses for those who need it most – healthcare workers, over 65s and other vulnerable groups.”
The SNP’S Westminster health spokesperson Dr Philippa Whitford accused the UK government of a “shortsighted and increasingly isolationist approach does nothing but hinder the ability to tackle the virus effectively”.
“The UK government must put public health ahead of Brexiteer ideology and step up efforts to engage with international partners to ensure that we are fully prepared around securing potential vaccines,” she said.
Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “When coronavirus is such a threat to people’s lives and livelihoods, Ministers should leave no stone unturned in their bid to end the pandemic. This government’s stubborn unwillingness to work with the European Union through the current crisis is unforgivable.
“The crisis does not stop at any national border. It is about time the Prime Minister started showing leadership, including fully participating in all EU efforts to secure critical medical supplies and a vaccine.”
And the Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-addy tweeted: “By refusing to join the EU’S vaccine scheme, the government is yet again putting ideology before saving lives.”