Ridge questioned the irresponsible EU move over the vaccine row (Image: SKY NEWS)
The Sky News host continued: The EU insisted on how important it was to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, and yet just a couple of weeks after they sign the deal, they unilaterally create one without telling anyone. It s pretty irresponsibly, isn t it?
Mr Blair responded: Yes, it was a very foolish thing to do and fortunately they withdrew it very quickly. I was somebody who negotiated the Good Friday Agreement, it s brought peace to the island of Ireland and it is absolutely vital that we protect it.
Trade war erupts over vaccine supplies between Europe and UK
With last night’s announcement by the European Union (EU) banning the export of vaccines to Northern Ireland, the nationalist conflict over access to vaccines has developed into a trade war between the EU and the UK.
Earlier this week, vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca informed the EU that it could not fulfill its pledge of 100 million vaccine doses by March. It expects to provide only 31 million doses in this period, with further delays expected for 200 million more on order. The company cited problems in production at its manufacturing site in Belgium.
YOU would think the report card on Boris Johnson’s Brexit issued this week by international ratings agency Moody’s would make embarrassing reading for the Prime Minister and his Government. The “you would think” qualification here is not included because there is any doubt over what is being said by Moody’s. The ratings agency is perfectly clear when it says the UK economy will be “significantly smaller” over the longer term with Brexit. Moody’s declares the “macroeconomic cost” for the UK of losing European Union membership has been confirmed. And it gives its view that the economic provisions of the UK’s deal with the EU (an agreement which was trumpeted so loudly by Mr Johnson on Christmas Eve) are “skewed in favour” of our EU neighbours.
Europe’s fight to secure COVID-19 vaccine supplies intensified today when the European Union warned drug companies such as AstraZeneca that it would use all legal means or even block exports unless they agreed to deliver shots as promised.
The EU, whose member states are far behind Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States in rolling out vaccines, is scrambling to get supplies just as the West’s biggest drugmakers slow deliveries to the bloc due to production problems.
As vaccination centres in Germany, France and Spain cancelled or delayed appointments, the EU publicly rebuked Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca for failing to deliver and even asked if it could divert supplies from Britain.