UK fires back at Macron as defiant minister shuts down French threat over second doses


The EU threat to use an export ban to block shipments of second vaccine doses to the UK has been ridiculed by the UK Government. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sky News, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden dismissed claims from the French foreign minister that EU nations could disrupt the UK vaccine supplies. He insisted long-term planning inside Government can “guarantee that everyone will get their second dose” within the 12-week period promised.

Sophy Ridge asked: “The French foreign minister said that the UK will struggle with supplies for second doses but Brussels won’t be blackmailed, in his words, into exporting doses to try and solve the problem.

“Can you guarantee that everyone will get their second dose within that 12 week period?”

Mr Dowden responded swiftly: “Yes, of course.

“We have been planning that all the way through.”

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He continued: “It’s one of the most important considerations as we have rolled out the vaccine.

“Not only will we stick to our pledge on the first vaccine but we will ensure people get their second vaccine.

“So in all our planning, we have factored that in. It is one the important things we can do.”

Earlier this week, France escalated the ongoing vaccine row with the UK after the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian suggested that Britain does not have sufficient stockpiles of Pfizer jabs to administer its round of second doses.

He continued: “A cooperative relationship must be found with the UK so that AstraZeneca fulfils its signed commitments with the EU, but we can’t accept any sort of blackmail.

“The UK is pushing for the first jab, knowing there will be problems with the second one. Europe does not have to pay the price for this policy.”

Other Tory MPs have ralso ebuked these threats, with Conservative MP Philip Davies saying: “I think the French and the EU should take note of the maxim: when you’re in hole, stop digging.”

Tory MP Bob Seely, a member of the Commons foreign affairs committee, added: “At a time when everyone has a duty to be working together, for both the good of the EU and the UK, the wretched vaccine nationalism of some EU politicians is appalling.”



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