Minister repeatedly refuses to say whether UK would retaliate if EU bans vaccine exports

A government minister has repeatedly declined to say whether Britain will respond to a possible EU export ban on vaccines with retaliatory measures, as she urged against “vaccine protectionism”.

The comments from Helen Whately come as member states prepare to debate a ban later this week amid a surge of infections in some continental European countries and a vaccination programme that has been criticised as sluggish.

Seeking to defuse the row, Boris Johnson is expected to contact his European counterparts throughout the week as the prime minister urges them to dismiss any proposals from Brussels that may seek to block Covid vaccines to Britain.

Pressed on whether the UK government would retaliate if an export ban is imposed, Ms Whately told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Well I don’t think it’s very helpful to speculate at the moment.

“The prime minister has made it clear is that we expect the EU to stand by their commitments and the commitment that the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen made, which is that the EU wouldn’t stop companies fulfilling their contractual obligations. That is what should happen.”

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Quizzed again, the health minister went on: “What we’re hearing at the moment is some speculation, conjecture and an element of rhetoric.

“What is actually important is that the EU and no country should follow vaccine nationalism or vaccine protectionism. We’d all do better by collaborating and supporting the vaccine manufacturers.”

According to an analysis published by The Guardian, a ban on vaccine exports from facilities in Europe to the UK could result in a two-month delay to the prime minister’s target of offering a jab to the entire adult population by July.

Ms Whately said in a separate interview she hadn’t seen the analysis, but stressed the government was “absolutely on track” to meet its targets, as she praised the “tremendous job” of the rollout as the NHS inoculated a record number over the weekend.

“What I can say is that we are absolutely on track to vaccinate those in cohorts 1-9, so those who are most at risk of death or hospitalisation from Covid, by April 15,” she said. “And then we can move on to vaccinating other adults and, as we just mentioned, we will vaccinate all adults by July, so we are on track with doing that.”

Addressing the possible vaccine export ban on LBC radio, Sir Keir Starmer added: “I don’t think the EU is helping itself here. I don’t think it’s helped itself much in the last few weeks and months on the whole.

“I don’t think they should go down this road of banning exports. What we want is this resolved as quickly as possible because we don’t want a shortage of vaccines to interrupt the rollout in this country. 

“Where contracts have been signed they need to be honoured. What I would say it is a reminder we’re not going to be through this until we see the whole word vaccinated. You can see the numbers in Europe, you can see them across the rest of the world.”