Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemns “vaccination nationalism”. However, the manufacturer AstraZeneca refers to an explosive passage in the supply contract with Great Britain.
The British government is outraged: EU Council President Charles Michel is spreading “false claims” about the kingdom’s vaccination policy. The Foreign Ministry even appoints the EU representative in London.
After an escalation in the vaccine dispute with the European Union, Great Britain summoned the current EU representative in London to the Foreign Office on Wednesday. In diplomatic dealings, this is considered a quick form of protest. What came out of it remained open at first.
The background is criticism from EU Council President Charles Michel of an alleged ban on the export of vaccines against Great Britain’s coronavirus. London calls this a “false claim”. In London, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We have not even blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccination.”
Britain condemned “vaccination nationalism in all its forms”. All references to an export ban or vaccines’ restrictions are entirely wrong, a government spokesman said earlier. Foreign Minister Dominic Raab sent Michel an identical letter. The EU Representation in London announced that the President of the Council would respond with an official letter.
It is different in the USA and Great Britain. “The United Kingdom and the United States have put an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components made in their territory,” wrote Michel. In response to London’s sharp criticism, Michel later wrote on Twitter that there were “different ways to introduce bans or restrictions on vaccines/drugs”.