Dear Sir,
In a recent letter John Armstrong berates me for saying that UK vaccine supplies would suffer because we had left the EU, but I can find no record that I have ever said this.
What I have said is that we are paying more for our vaccines than the EU countries are, which is a fact.
I have no hesitation whatsoever in condemning the EU’s recent threat to our vaccine supplies, which was fortunately quickly withdrawn. However, I would point out that the Government started this ‘vaccine war’ by stating that EU vaccine supplies from UK factories would be withheld until UK orders were completed, so both sides are at fault.
The Government’s response to Covid-19 has generally been woeful, with the UK being amongst the 10 worst countries in the world using any possible measure. However, credit where credit is due, our vaccine roll-out programme is first class, and certainly better than the EU has managed. I’ve just had my first vaccination at the PCP, which was very quick and efficient, almost certainly due to the fact that this was organised by the NHS. This contrasts starkly with our experiences of the Government’s preferred private enterprise solutions, which have been characterised by ineffectiveness and high cost to the taxpayer.
At least John Armstrong and I can agree that we all need to help by keeping to the lockdown rules.
Alan Jordan
