The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has threatened to block millions of doses of the vaccine to the UK.
This could delay the UK’s vaccine rollout by two months, and Boris Johnson is expected to ask European leaders to stop their threats of banning millions of doses.
von der Leyen said over the weekend that the EU has the power to stop vaccine exports and said “that is the message to AstraZeneca.”
In the coming weeks the UK are expecting 19m vaccine doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs, and it is believed that von der Leyen is to join forces with Germany and France.
On Sunday evening reports came in that the EU are to stop vaccine ingredients coming across the Channel from the factory in the Netherlands which makes the AstraZeneca doses.
Ben Wallace the Defence Secretary warned the EU that the world is wathcing the EU and it could well be “counterproductive” for them should they impose an export ban.
Speaking to the Andrew Marr programme on Sunday Wallace said, “the one thing we know about vaccine production and manufacturing is that it is collaborative.
“The grown-up thing would be for the European Commission and some of the European leaders to not indulge in rhetoric but to recognise the obligations that we all have.
“We will all hold each other to our contracts. Making a vaccine is like baking a cake. We all have different ingredients and the European Commission will know that.
“You pointed out the point about Pfizer. They will know you wouldn’t want to cut off your nose to spite your face.”
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