| UPDATED: 11:08, Thu, Mar 11, 2021
Link copied Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
The European Council President this week sparked outrage in Downing Street after he accused the Government of slapping an “outright ban” on drugs giants from sending their jabs abroad. His remarks prompted a high-level intervention from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who insisted Britain had not blocked any exports and opposes “vaccine nationalism”. Despite this, Mr Michel, the EU’s most senior official, has continued to push his claim that Britain is preventing vaccines from leaving our shores.
Pfizer this week delivered 4.8 million doses of its Covid vaccine, which is developed alongside German partner BioNTech, to the EU.
This means the EU has taken delivery of around 28 million doses of the two-shot jab, EU officials told the Reuters news agency.
But the bloc is still 10 million doses short of what Pfizer was said to have promised to member states since the rollout began late last year.
EU sources say Pfizer committed to delivering around 3.5 million doses a week from the start of January.
EU received 10 million fewer coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer than expecred (Image: GETTY)
Ursula von der Leyen is the EU Commission s President (Image: GETTY)
| UPDATED: 14:02, Wed, Feb 17, 2021
Link copied Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has held showdown talks with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to seek reassurances the bloc’s export controls will not harm his country’s supply of life-saving Covid jabs. It came after reports from Ottawa that its supply of vaccines had been hindered by the EU’s attempts to prevent manufacturers from sending doses of their coronavirus jabs outside the bloc. It was said drugmaker Moderna’s supply of materials had been hampered by the new attempts to manage vaccine exports outside to the EU.
| UPDATED: 06:13, Mon, Jan 11, 2021
Link copied Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Tory MP for Dudley North, Marco Longhi, has claimed the UK’s independence from the EU has allowed the Prime Minister to implement his vaccine strategy much more smoothly than on the continent. While the UK approved the Pfizer/BioNtech on December 2, the EU only began its own programme on December 27. Since then, the bloc has not only been accused of being too slow to approve the Pfizer drug but also for its poor implementation strategy.