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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has rejected the possibility of the UK engaging in a tit-for-tat vaccine export war with the European Union after he threatened to stop supplies during a dispute with AstraZeneca.
Johnson said Britain does not believe in participating in “blockades of any kind” as he noted that tensions could unfreeze during talks with the bloc.
Pressured by the pace of its launch and embroiled in a dispute with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca over supplies, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen threatened to halt vaccine exports.
But Johnson said at a news conference in Downing Street: “We will continue to work with European partners to implement the vaccine.
“All I can say is that in this country we do not believe in blockages of any kind of vaccines or vaccine materials.
“It is not something this country would dream of participating in and I am encouraged by some of the things I have heard from the continent in the same vein.”
Diplomatic efforts have tried to avoid a possible ban on vaccine exports.
Across the EU, just over 10% of adults have received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, but in the UK the figure is over 53%.
The government did not deny reports that AstraZeneca vaccines made at Halix’s facilities in the Netherlands could be shared with the EU to avoid an export ban.
Former ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, is believed to be among advisers sent to Brussels to try to negotiate a solution.
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