THE European Union has ramped up threats to AstraZeneca – saying it will take legal action unless they deliver the shots promised to member states.
This comes in the midst of a vicious vaccine war between the EU and Britain, as Brussels demands the UK hands over some of its jabs because of a shortage.
EU member states are far behind Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States in rolling out vaccines.
Meanwhile, the UK has just secured 120m doses of vaccines – American company Novavax is set to make 60m of these doses in Teesside.
The Novavax jab shows 60% effectiveness against the South African variant and offers 86% protection against the new UK strain.
Follow our live blog below for the very latest on Brexit and the EU…
- Ben Hill
SCOTTISH VISIT
The Prime Minister, during his visit to Scotland on Thursday, said he would be happy to meet with the fishing sector to "explain why I think we've done the right thing with Brexit".
He told broadcasters: "Of course, there are teething problems in lots of areas – that's inevitable because there is a big change.
"We told people there was a big change coming and where people have had problems through no fault of their own, there is a £23 million fund to help them through it."
- Ben Hill
FISH FACTS
Boris Johnson has said his Brexit trade deal will be "very beneficial" in the medium to long term for fishermen but admitted that initial problems were "inevitable".
MPs have warned the Government that the entire fishing industry could be destroyed if ministers do not fix customs clearance technology at the border which has hampered fish and seafood trade since Britain started operating on fresh terms with the European Union at the start of the year.
Industry officials said Peterhead in Scotland, Europe's biggest fish market, has been turned into a ghost town by Brexit due to boats being "tied up" and exporters "crippled".
- Ben Hill
'GREATER FOCUS'
Lord Hammond told the Lords he wanted to "plead, even at this late stage, for a greater focus on it in our ongoing discussions with the EU".
He said the financial services sector was facing the challenge of what, for them, was a "no-deal Brexit," with the inevitable loss of EU business.
Lord Hammond was speaking in a second reading debate on the Financial Services Bill as the UK holds talks with the EU on access to the bloc's financial markets.
Welcoming the Bill, Lord Hammond said he hoped it would be the first of many measures to reinforce stability and competitiveness in UK financial services.
- Ben Hill
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Tory former chancellor Philip Hammond has urged the Government to give "greater focus" to the financial services industry in its post-Brexit talks with the EU.
Lord Hammond of Runnymede stressed the importance of financial services not just to London but the economy of the whole of the UK.
In his maiden speech, the Conservative peer said the sector provided millions of jobs and accounted for 11 per cent of tax revenues.
- Ben Hill
'TEETHING PROBLEMS'
Boris Johnson said there were lots of "teething problems" with the country's adjustment to life outside the European Union's single market and business groups warned things might get worse soon.
"Of course there are there are teething problems in lots of areas and that's inevitable because this is a big change," Johnson said when asked about the problems faced by the fishing sector on a visit to Scotland on Thursday.
"But be in no doubt, over the medium term and much more over the long term, the changes are very, very beneficial for Scottish fishing," he said, adding that eventually Britain would be able to fish all the stocks in its territorial waters.
- Patrick Knox
EXPORT HELPLINES SET UP
Michael Gove said they would help firm adjust to New trading rules with the European Union that came into effect almost a month ago when the post-Brexit transition period ended.
He said "I would like to thank traders and hauliers for the preparations they made for the changes that came into force at the beginning of the year. There is currently no disruption at UK ports and goods continue to flow effectively.
"However, some businesses are facing challenges with specific aspects of our new trading relationship with the EU, and I want to let them know that we will pull out all the stops to help them adjust.
"To this end, we have set up export helplines, invested millions in the customs intermediaries market, and continue to direct them to the Brexit Checker Tool to see exactly what actions they need to take."
- Abe Hawken
'BENEFICIAL'
Boris Johnson has said his Brexit trade deal will be “very beneficial” in the medium to long term for fishermen but admitted that initial problems were “inevitable”.
MPs have warned the Government that the entire fishing industry could be destroyed if ministers do not fix customs clearance technology at the border which has hampered fish and seafood trade since Britain started operating on fresh terms with the European Union at the start of the year.
Industry officials said Peterhead in Scotland, Europe’s biggest fish market, has been turned into a ghost town by Brexit due to boats being “tied up” and exporters “crippled”.
The Prime Minister, during his visit to Scotland on Thursday, said he would be happy to meet with the fishing sector to “explain why I think we’ve done the right thing with Brexit”.
- Abe Hawken
BUSINESS HELP
Michael Gove has vowed to “pull out all the stops” to help businesses adjust to new post-Brexit trade rules ahead of a meeting with industry leaders.
The Cabinet Office Minister chaired the Brexit business taskforce on Thursday evening to help businesses get “tailored support” to tackle export issues.
There is no disruption at UK ports, according to the Cabinet Office, but up to 5% of traffic has been turned back for either failing to meet customs requirements or a lack of a negative coronavirus test.
- Shayma Bakht
FTSE 100 ALMOST HITS ONE-MONTH LOW
The FTSE 100 hit a near one-month low yesterday as energy stocks tracked commodity prices lower following virus and lockdown-led demand worries, while the vaccine row between the European Union and AstraZeneca Plc continued to weigh.
AstraZeneca was the second biggest drag on the FTSE 100 index as Britain demanded it must receive all the COVID-19 vaccines it had ordered, while the EU warned drug companies that it would use all legal means or even block exports unless they agreed to deliver shots as promised.
- Shayma Bakht
PRIME MINISTER "SCARED" OF FISHERMEN – SAYS SCOTTISH MP
The Prime Minister is “scared to face” Scottish fishermen, Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael said today. Reacting to suggestions from Boris Johnson that fishermen were to blame for not being ready for trading changes and that a taskforce would be set up to support the industry, Mr Carmichael ridiculed the idea that the Prime Minister would set up a task force if all the future held was “great opportunities”.
Asked by reporters during his visit to Scotland whether he would meet with disgruntled fishermen, the Prime Minister said: “I’m always happy to meet representatives of any section of industry in this country” and again dismissed issues faced by the industry as “teething problems”. He added:
“We told people there was a big change coming and where people have had problems through no fault of their own, there is a £23 million fund to help them through it. As you’ve heard this morning, we’re setting up a taskforce to make sure we work with Scottish fishing industry to make sure they are in a position to take advantage of this increase in stocks.”
In reaction Mr Carmichael said: “In as much as it makes any sense at all, the Government message today is that they have set up a compensation fund to pay money to people who themselves have caused any problems that they have and for whom the future apparently holds nothing but great opportunities.
“There is only one reason why Boris Johnson didn’t meet Scottish fishermen and it is because he is scared to face them. He used fishermen to get what he wanted in Brexit. Now that he has it he has no further interest in them. It is insulting to blame fishermen for the shambles he created."
- Shayma Bakht
STURGEON WANTS TO RELEASE STATS – DESPITE GOVERNMENT REQUEST
NICOLA Sturgeon has sparked fresh fury after she vowed to publish stats on the supply of the coronavirus vaccine to Scotland in defiance of Boris Johnson.
The move could be seen as a boost to the EU's jab wars with AstraZeneca as the bloc tries to force the drug giant to hand doses of the jab destined for Britain.
This is despite the Government's request when Ms Sturgeon previously tried to release the stats to keep them under wraps to respect "commercial confidentiality".
- Shayma Bakht
EU CONSIDERING LEGAL ACTION OVER OXFORD VACCINE
Facing vaccine shortfalls, the EU is considering legal ways to guarantee the delivery of all the COVID-19 vaccine doses it bought from AstraZeneca – as regulators come closer to approving the vaccine for use in the 27-nation EU.
The European Medicines Agency is likely to authorise use of the Oxford vaccine tomorrow.
EU Council President Charles Michel said the EU "should explore all options and make use of all legal means and enforcement measures at our disposal," if negotiations with drug companies don't supply the amount they agreed on.
- Shayma Bakht
GOVE WILL "PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS" TO HELP POST-BREXIT BUSINESS
Michael Gove promises to "pull out all the stops" to help businesses during the new post-Brexit adjustment period, in a meeting with industry leaders tonight.
The senior Cabinet Office Minister chaired the Brexit business taskforce on this evening. He said he would offer "tailored support" to businesses tackling export issues.
Though the Cabinet Office says there is no disruption at UK ports, as much as 5% of traffic has been turned back for failing to meet customs requirements, or because of a lack of a negative coronavirus test.
371 enforcement notices were issued last week to lorries for failing to have a Kent Access Permit or failing to comply with traffic management requirements.
- Shayma Bakht
BREXIT 'TEETHING PROBLEMS'
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there were lots of "teething problems" as the UK adjusts to leaving the EU's single market, with business groups also warning that things might get worse soon.
He said: "Of course there are there are teething problems in lots of areas and that's inevitable because this is a big change," Johnson said when asked about the problems faced by the fishing sector on a visit to Scotland on Thursday.
"But be in no doubt, over the medium term and much more over the long term, the changes are very, very beneficial for Scottish fishing," he said, adding that eventually Britain would be able to fish all the stocks in its territorial waters.'
- Dan Keane
WHAT IS THE FINANCIAL SERVICES BILL?
The Financial Services Bill, which has already cleared the House of Commons, updates financial services regulation after Brexit.
It amends existing laws in 17 areas, including on banking rules and benchmarks.
And it includes changes to help people struggling with problem debt and an extension of the maximum criminal sentence for market abuse from seven years' imprisonment to 10 years.
- Dan Keane
HAMMOND SEEKS MORE FOCUS ON FINANCE IN POST-BREXIT TALKS
Tory former chancellor Philip Hammond has urged the Government to give "greater focus" to financial services in its post-Brexit talks with the EU.
In his maiden speech to the House of Lords, the Conservative peer said the sector provided millions of jobs and accounted for 11% of tax revenues.
Lord Hammond, speaking in a second reading debate on the Financial Services Bill in the Lords, said he wanted to "plead, even at this late stage, for a greater focus on it in our ongoing discussions with the EU".
- Shayma Bakht
HALF OF UK ADULTS BUYING MORE BRITISH PRODUCE
More than half of UK adults intend to buy more British produce this year due after Brexit, according to research.
The survey of 2,000 adults revealed two thirds want to support the economy, while 61 per cent believe it’s simply a logical choice.
And nine in 10 think it’s important for major brands to support British producers following the UK’s exit from the EU.
More than a third are also conscious of where their food comes from following Brexit, with 30 per cent willing to pay an average of 10 per cent more for a product if it’s made in Britain.
Lockdown has also played its part in changing shopping habits, as 36 per cent have supported more local businesses due to the imposed restrictions.
Dean Towey, from Princes, owner of Crosse & Blackwell which commissioned the research, said: “It’s clear from the research that consumers are more committed than ever to buying local produce and supporting British farmers this year."
- Shayma Bakht
JOHNSON BITES BACK AT GERMANY'S DECISION AGAINST VACCINATING OVER 65s
After Germany has said they won't be administrating the Oxford vaccine for over 65s because of insufficient data, Boris Johnson has retorted.
Germany has made the decision because of an apparent "lack of information" on how effective the jab is for older people – not because of any safety concerns.
The Prime Minister responded by citing MHRA – the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
He says that the Oxford vaccine is "very good" and works "just after one dose" according to their research.
He adds that it is "effective across all age groups."
This comes after the EU and Britain clash over vaccine shortages after Brussels refused to accept that people in the UK have first claim on Oxford/AstraZeneca doses produced in local plants.
- Shayma Bakht
GOVERNMENT MUST GIVE "GREATER FOCUS" TO FINANCIAL SECTOR, SAYS CHANCELLOR
Tory former chancellor Philip Hammond has urged the Government to give "greater focus" to the financial services industry in its ongoing talks with the EU.
Lord Hammond of Runnymede stressed the importance of financial services post-Brexit not just to London but the economy of the whole of the UK.
In his maiden Lords speech, Lord Hammond said his aim was to "plead, even at this late stage, for a greater focus on it in our ongoing discussions with the EU".
He said the financial services sector was facing the challenge of what, for them, was a "no-deal Brexit," with the inevitable loss of EU business.
- Jon Rogers
GOVT TO WORK 'HAND-IN-HAND' WITH BUSINESS TO IRON OUT BREXIT ISSUES
Michael Gove, a senior minister in Boris Johnson's cabinet, said the government would "work hand in hand" with businesses to tackle any outstanding issues over the new Brexit trading rules.
He issued the statement shortly before meeting business leaders to discuss the impact of Brexit.
Scotland's fishing industry has been hit hard by delays in getting their shellfish and other fresh produce to markets in the EU since the introduction of post-Brexit checks.
Britain's government has promised an extra 23 million pounds ($31.6 million) of funding to compensate the sector.
But other industries have also felt the impact of longer delivery times and tax changes.
The government said on Thursday that businesses overall had adapted well to the new trading relationship that began on Jan. 1 with border traffic increasing daily and no longer any disruption at British ports.
- Jon Rogers
WHAT WOULD A REFERENDUM ACHIEVE? ASKS JOHNSON
Boris Johnson has questioned what another Scottish referendum would achieve.
He said: "We don't actually know what that referendum would set out to achieve, we don't know what the point of it would be – what happens to the army, what happens to the crown, what happens to the pound, what happens to the Foreign Office… nobody will tell us what it's all meant to be about".
Asked if he would boycott a referendum held without the UK Government's consent, Mr Johnson dodged the question, saying: "My focus is on defeating the pandemic."
- Jon Rogers
JOHNSON: 'FOCUS ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER'
Johnson suggested people should focus on "the issues that really matter".
"I think jobs, the educational performance of the Scottish national government I don't believe has been brilliant, their performance on fighting crime, on drugs – those are the things that I think people need to focus on.
"But, above all, on fighting this pandemic and coming back more strongly together.
"I have to say I think endless talk about a referendum, without any clear description of what the constitutional situation would be after that referendum, is completely irrelevant now to the concerns of most people who, I think, want us to beat this pandemic and come through it strongly together."
He told reporters that "the very same people" who wanted independence "also said only a few years ago, in 2014, that this was a once-in-a-generation event".
"I'm inclined to stick with what they said last time," Mr Johnson said.
- Jon Rogers
JOHNSON: FOCUS ON PANDEMIC, NOT 'POINTLESS' WRANGLING OVER SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE
Boris Johnson said arguments about a referendum on Scottish independence were "completely irrelevant" as the UK battled the coronavirus pandemic.
The Prime Minister again insisted the 2014 vote was a once-in-a-generation referendum and there was no advantage in "pointless constitutional wrangling".
Amid signs of rising support for independence and ahead of May's Holyrood elections, the Prime Minister used his visit to Scotland to highlight the nation's contribution to the UK-wide fight against Covid-19.
Scottish First Minister Nicola 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.
- Jon Rogers
COVID VACCINE ROW REVEALS EU'S PROTECTIONIST TENDENCIES, SAYS REFORM UK
Brussels is set to publicly outline its vaccine export ban plan which could see millions of Pfizer doses blocked from entering Britain within days.
Under the move to be finalised on Friday customs authorities in EU countries will have to notify the Commission every time vaccines are being sent to Britain.
Now Reform UK has waded into the growing row.
Richard Tice, Chairman of Reform UK said: “The EU are acting with utter contempt towards the UK. The commission were late to order vaccines from AstraZeneca and have still failed to even approve the vaccine for use. This is just another example of the EU’s protectionist and bureaucratic tendencies.
"This is on the back of deliberate interference at the French borders with our exporters. They are trying to bully us. We must stand firm."
- Jon Rogers
JOHNSON WANTS UK TO BOUNCE BACK 'TOGETHER'
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Scottish nationalists on Thursday to stop talking "endlessly" about a new independence referendum, saying most people wanted to see Britain "bouncing back more strongly together" after the Covid-19 pandemic eases.
On a trip to Scotland to try to stem growing support for another referendum, Johnson opted for a blunt message, saying independence supporters had their chance in 2014 in a vote they had agreed at the time was "a once-in-a-generation event".
The bonds that tie England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together in a $3 trillion economy have been severely strained by both Britain's exit from the European Union and Johnson's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
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