Johnson warns against protectionism after Trump’s raid on masks

BORIS JOHNSON and Dominic Raab are warning world leaders against “compounding the harm” of coronavirus with “damaging protectionism”.

The Foreign Secretary has intervened in an article for The Sunday Tel

egraph after Germany accused Donald Trump’s administration of “modern piracy” over the alleged interception of protective medical equipment bound for Berlin.

In the article Mr Raab says that international “teamwork” is essential to tackle the pandemic.

He also reveals that he, Mr Johnson and Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, have been pressing other world leaders to keep trade routes open.

A report by Global Trade Alert, a Swiss group, warned last month that 54 governments had introduced 46 export curbs on medical supplies since the beginning of the year.

On Friday, Andreas Geisel, Berlin’s interior minister, said a shipment of face masks from 3M, a US-based firm, had been “confiscated” in Bangkok and never reached Berlin from China, where they were made. The company said it did not recognise the reports.

Mr Geisel said: “We consider that an act of modern piracy. You don’t treat your transatlantic partners like that.”

Last week, Mr Trump said he was “not happy” with 3M as he triggered powers to allow US federal authorities to use “any and all authority” to buy its N95 respirator masks.

Today, Mr Raab writes: “The Prime Minister, Trade Secretary and I are pressing the G7 and G20 groups of major economies to keep trade routes open – and avoid compounding the harm of Covid-19 with damaging protectionism. Teamwork is essential to beating coronavirus. The Prime Minister is determined to unite the country behind the national mission at home, and bring countries together abroad.”

The Government’s new online “dedicated supply channel” reveals protective equipment for NHS hospitals has come from countries including China, Germany, Thailand and the US.

As we face this unprecedented challenge of pulling the country through the coronavirus pandemic, the Government is doing everything it can to protect lives and reinforce the NHS. The single biggest thing we can all do is to follow the guidance to stay home and limit our social interaction with others – to deny coronavirus the ability to spread.

It’s a team effort, and a national mission, to defeat an international pandemic. As Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out this week, we have a plan to increase testing to 100,000 per day by the end of April, to return more NHS staff safely back to the frontline. We have a plan to provide the protective equipment frontline staff need and equip the NHS – as demonstrated by the construction of NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCeL centre in London, a phenomenal achievement, set to be followed in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. This way, the NHS will be able to deal with the virus at its peak.

At the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and across government, we’re reinforcing this national mission through our international reach. First, while the Government is tapping all available domestic suppliers of ventilators and personal protective equipment, we’re sourcing life-saving equipment from around the world to support the NHS. Yesterday, 300 ventilators were delivered from China, with many more to come. On Friday, a shipment of millions of gowns, face masks, eye protection, sanitiser and gloves arrived.

Next, we’re returning as many British travellers as we can, to avoid vulnerable citizens being stranded. There are hundreds of thousands of UK nationals travelling around the world. With airports and ports closing – at short or even no notice – and local authorities restricting internal movement, this is a major challenge.

We’ve already helped hundreds of thousands of people get home through a combination of commercial and charter flights. We’ve helped over 200,000 British citizens get home from Spain, 13,000 from Egypt and 8,000 from Indonesia – to name but a few countries. Given these numbers, we facilitate commercial flights wherever possible. Where that’s not possible, we’ve chartered flights

That’s just the start. I appreciate it’s an anxious time for those who can’t get home. So, this week, working with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, I announced a new deal with the airlines. Where commercial flights can operate, airlines will allow passengers to change tickets at little to no cost, including between carriers. Where commercial flights aren’t an option, we’ve designated £75million to charter special flights at reasonable cost. On Monday, just four airlines had signed up. Today, there are 14, and we‘re prioritising flights to repatriate the most vulnerable.

The UK is also providing wider international leadership to defeat coronavirus. We’re leading in supporting the most vulnerable countries – from Latin America to Africa. Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has announced up to £544million to support the international response. It’s the right thing to do. But stopping the spread of Covid-19, and limiting its death toll in countries less able to cope, also directly serves to protect the UK from further waves of coronavirus.

For the same reason, we’re contributing £250million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance striving to develop a vaccine.

Meanwhile, we need to shield the economy as best we can. The Chancellor set out a £330billion package to boost the NHS and help see employers and workers through the crisis. In the UK we must stay home, protect the NHS, save lives, but abroad we are working to keep international supply chains open for food, medicine and health equipment. The Prime Minister, Trade Secretary and I are pressing the G7 and G20 groups of major economies to keep trade routes open – and avoid compounding the harm of Covid-19 with damaging protectionism.

Teamwork is essential to beating coronavirus. The Prime Minister is determined to unite the country behind the national mission at home, and bring countries together abroad, so we rise to a global challenge that threatens us all.

£330b

The Government funding allocated to boost the NHS and help see employers and workers through the coronavirus crisis