VACCINE nationalism is now a reality, a top SAGE advisor has warned as the EU-AstraZeneca supply row deepened.
Sir Jeremy Farrar told BBC's Today programme said vaccine nationalism is real and "is something we absolutely have to negotiate and avoid and it doesn't serve anybody to have these fights over vaccine supply."
His comments come as EU made wild demands and threats to the UK after AstraZeneca revealed it would only be able to deliver 30 million doses of the vaccine rather than the 80 million that the bloc ordered.
Earlier this week the EU threatened to block the supply of life-saving Belgium-made Pfizer vaccines to the UK unless AstraZeneca increase the number of jabs it sends into the EU.
And last night the bloc demanded that the UK give up tens of millions of doses or our own AstraZeneca supply to make up the shortfall – a move that would put thousands of Brits' lives at risk.
Follow our live blog below for the very latest on Brexit and the EU…
- Jon Rogers
SAMANTHA CAMERON'S BUSINESS HIT BY BREXIT
Samantha Cameron, the wife of the former Prime Minister, has admitted Brexit has said it is now "challenging and difficult" to bring goods into the UK due to Brexit.
Mrs Cameron, who runs a fashion business, said it was “frustrating” dealing with “teething issues” over the new trade regulations.
Asked on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour about how her firm Ceffin was coping with Brexit, Mrs Cameron said there were supply chain problems caused by “a mixture of Covid and Brexit”.
She said: “Until they sort out some of the, I hope, teething issues, definitely trading with the EU – if you're bringing goods into the country from outside the UK, and then trying to sell them back into Europe – that currently is challenging and difficult.”
- Jon Rogers
EU MUST 'WAIT THEIR TURN' OVER COVID VACCINE
Brussels had demanded tens of millions of shots must be diverted from Brits to cover shortages caused by its delays in ordering the vaccine.
Conservative MP Peter Bone said the move by EU boss Ursula von der Leyen was selfish, adding: “They must wait their turn. I don’t know whether they think they are all-powerful but it just goes to show how incompetent they are.
“It also goes to show why so many people want to leave the EU.
“Their bureaucracy and incompetence means they are miles behind on their vaccine rollout and are now scrambling to do anything they can to cover it up.”
- Jon Rogers
BRUSSELS CANCELS MEETING WITH UK DIPLOMAT
Brussels has cancelled a meeting with the head of the UK mission to the EU following the UK's decision to deny diplomatic status to the EU's ambassador.
Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby was scheduled to have his first meeting with a senior EU official in his new role today, with a planned meeting with Frédéric Bernard, the chief of European Council President Charles Michel’s Cabinet.
But the meeting has now been cancelled by the EU official.
An EU official with knowledge of the agenda told Politico the meeting was "postponed for the time being".
- Jon Rogers
JOHNSON CONSIDERS JOINING 'ASIAN NATO'
Boris Johnson is reportedly considering to join an alliance known as the "Asian Nato".
The informal alliance currently comprises the US, Japan, Australia and India.
US President Joe Biden has drafted plans to expand the group.
It is understood no firm proposals have yet been given to Johnson but the UK is very interested in joining the group, according to the Spectator.
- Jon Rogers
BREXIT DISRUPTIONS 'NOT MEGA' – LIDL GB BOSS
Lidl has seen a good flow of goods from continental Europe since a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union kicked in on January 1 but has experienced problems with exports, its boss said on Thursday.
"So far, so good, goods are coming in, the disruptions are not mega," Lidl GB Chief Executive Christian Hartnagel told Reuters, referring to imports from the EU.
Britain is currently waiving import checks but will introduce tougher measures after three and six months. That approach has not been reciprocated on the EU side.
"We are carefully watching the announcement of the British government from March 1 and July 1 (when) the border controls will be ramped-up," said Hartnagel.
He said exporting goods to the EU was "much more tricky".
- Jon Rogers
SNP CLAIMS JOHNSON IN 'PANIC' OVER REFERENDUM THREAT
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said the Prime Minister's trip to Scotland is evidence that he is in a "panic" about the prospect of another referendum.
The MSP said: "Clearly, Boris Johnson is rattled. By branding this campaign trip as 'essential', this is clearly a Prime Minister in panic, who knows the Tories are losing the argument on independence.
"Twenty polls in a row have shown that a majority of voters believe Scotland's future should be in Scotland's hands – not Boris Johnson's."
- Jon Rogers
STARMER BACKS JOHNSON'S SCOTLAND TRIP
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also backed the Prime Minister's visit, insisting he had a right to see what was happening in all parts of the UK.
Sir Keir told LBC Radio: "I'm with the Prime Minister on this one.
"He is the Prime Minister of the UK.
"It's important that he travels to see what is going on, on the ground."
- Jon Rogers
GOVE INSISTS JOHNSON'S TRIP TO SCOTLAND IS 'ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL'
Boris Johnson's visit to Scotland to promote the Union is "absolutely essential", Cabinet member Michael Gove has insisted after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon questioned whether the trip is necessary during the pandemic.
Amid signs of rising support for Scottish independence, the Prime Minister is visiting Scotland on Thursday to argue that the Union has been integral in administering the Covid-19 vaccine, providing coronavirus testing and giving economic support.
Ms Sturgeon said Mr Johnson's visit to Scotland is "not essential" during the current lockdowns, arguing that politicians have a "duty to lead by example" as the public live under strict restrictions.
There are growing concerns in Westminster about support for Scottish independence, as Ms Sturgeon argues there would be grounds for a new referendum if her SNP party wins a majority in the Holyrood elections scheduled for May.
Ahead of the visit, Cabinet Office minister Mr Gove told BBC Radio Scotland: "He's the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, it's absolutely essential that the Prime Minister is there to see how on the front line we are progressing in our vaccine delivery and rollout programme."
- John Hall
NO REVIEW OF WORKERS' RIGHTS
Britain will no longer hold a review into workers' rights, business minister Kwasi Kwarteng said, reiterating that the government will not water down employment protections but instead will look at raising them post-Brexit.
Earlier this month, his department rejected a media report that it was proposing changes focused on ending the 48-year working week, rules around rest breaks and not including overtime pay when calculating some holiday entitlements.
Some opposition lawmakers say they fear that Britain's departure from the European Union will allow the government to rip up labour and environmental protections, part of what critics say is the government's plan to deregulate.
The government denies the charge.
Speaking to ITV's Peston programme late on Wednesday, Kwarteng said: "The review is no longer happening within BEIS (the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). I have made it very, very clear to officials in the department that we're not interested in watering down workers' rights."
- John Hall
FISHING AGREEMENT EASES FRENCH-JERSEY TENSIONS
Tensions between Jersey and France have eased after a transitional agreement was reached with the European Commission.
The ‘amnesty’ deal means that all 350 French boats which were able to fish in the Island’s territorial waters before Brexit will be able to do so until the end of April, the Jersey Evening Post reports.
To be eligible to fish the waters after that, they will have to prove that they have fished them for at least ten days in any of the past three years.
Brexit meant the end of the Granville Bay Treaty, which governed access to the Island’s waters before the UK left the EU.
- John Hall
JOHNSON HITS BACK AT EU OVER BID TO GRAB VACCINES
Boris Johnson has hit back at the EU's threat to snatch 75million Covid vaccines from Britain.
The PM spoke out after Brussels ordered AstraZeneca to start diverting lifesaving vaccines from British factories to Europe – risking a squeeze on NHS supplies and a major row with No 10.
But Boris hit back at the shameless attempted vaccine grab yesterday, insisting: "We're very confident in our supplies, we're very confident in our contracts, and we're going ahead on that basis.
"I am pleased at the moment we have the fastest rollout of vaccines in Europe and by some way."
Read more here.
- John Hall
CALLS FOR GOVT TO SET UP 'FISHING TASK FORCE'
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has called for the creation of a UK "Fishing Task force" to help with the Brexit changes.
The Moray MP has written to UK environment secretary George Eustace seeking action to simplify the post-Brexit system of trade with the EU.
Ross states the £23 million fund unveiled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this month to compensate the industry can only be a "sticking plaster", in an article for The Scotsman today.
- John Hall
NEW BREXIT RULES START TO IMPACT UK BUSINESSES
The new trading regulations due to Brexit are starting to impact UK businesses, according to the latest figures.
Manufacturers and services firms have been hit hard by supply chain and export disruption, according to data company IHS Markit.
“This was almost exclusively linked to both Brexit disruption and a severe lack of international shipping availability,” IHS Markit said.
Under a deal struck last month, trade between Britain and the European Union remains free of tariffs and quotas but a new full customs border means goods must be checked and paperwork filled in.
- John Hall
UK CAR PRODUCTION AT ITS LOWEST IN 36 YEARS
Car production in the UK fell to its lowest level in 36 years as manufacturers were hit by the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty over Brexit.
Output fell for the fifth consecutive year, dropping 29.3 per cent in 2020, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.
UK factories produced 920,928 vehicles last year compared to more than 1.7 million in 2016.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "The industry faces 2021 with more optimism, however with a vaccine being rolled out and clarity on how we trade with Europe, which remains by far our biggest market.
"The immediate challenge is to adapt to the new conditions, to overcome the additional customs burdens and regain our global competitiveness while delivering zero-emission transport."
- John Hall
NEW PLAN FOR ARRESTING SUSPECTS INTERNATIONALLY
Procedures for arresting suspected criminals in other countries after Brexit look positive, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has said.
New extradition, data sharing and law enforcement co-operation arrangements are underpinned by the European Convention on Human Rights.
Senior NCA official Steve Rodhouse said important provisions like the ability to arrest on an Interpol (international police) red notice have been preserved, along with timescales for the surrender of suspects.
He added: “The mechanics look positive. It is a new process, it is not well-practised, it is early days and we need to see how it operates.”
- John Hall
UNION BENEFIT
Boris Johnson will use a visit to Scotland to argue the Union has been integral in administering the coronavirus vaccine, providing Covid testing and giving economic support north of the border during the pandemic.
The Prime Minister spoke before his trip on Thursday about the “great benefits of co-operation” that the Union has brought while dealing with the coronavirus crisis, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in the UK.
The visit comes as calls grow for a second independence vote for Scotland.
- John Hall
THE BRITISH CAR INDUSTRY IS HURTING – DESPITE BREXIT BACKING
The government is "concerned" over its British car output, which fell to its lowest level since 1984 last year because the pandemic saw factories close – damaging the demand.
This announcement comes ahead of the decision on if the Vauxhall car factory should still be kept open – a blow to the UK as they backed the sector in Brexit negotiations.
Many plants shut have been shut for several months, and those open continue to run below normal levels.
A total of 920,928 cars rolled off production lines in 2020, down by a whopping 29% from 2019, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Chief Executive of the Society, Mike Hawes, said: "the government is concerned, it will want to try and sustain and do everything it can to help secure that future investment, having backed the sector in the (Brexit) negotiations with Europe."
- John Hall
EU'S THREATS WON'T AFFECT CANADA
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, says EU export controls won't impact shipments of Canada's doses from Europe.
Trudeau spoke with EU President Ursula von der Leyen – who he says assured him that measures taken by the EU will not affect Canada's Pfizer and Moderna vaccine deliveries from Europe.
This comes after the EU said it would impose export controls on all vaccines produced within its borders in light of some shortages.
The EU warned pharmaceutical companies, developing vaccines with their aid, that the bloc must get all of its jabs on schedule.
Currently, all of Canadas Pfizer and Moderna vaccines come from Europe.
- John Hall
PM SAYS ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND WILL "DEFEAT" THE VIRUS TOGETHER
Before visiting Scotland, the Prime Minister says Scotland gained access to a coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford as a part of the United Kingdom.
He spoke about how vaccines in Scotland are being administered by shared armed forces, who are creating 80 new vaccine centres in the country.
He said: "We have pulled together to defeat the virus."
"Mutual cooperation across the UK throughout this pandemic is exactly what the people of Scotland expect and it is what I have been focussed on."
But Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon slammed Johnson's trip to Scotland. She asked if his reasons for visiting are "really essential" and set the right example to the public.
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