Inside Politics: EU warned against ‘stupid vaccine war’

National leaders remain wary of export blocks, but European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is sticking to her guns, writes Adam Forrest

(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Ever Given container ship remains stuck in a moment it can’t get out of – threatening global trade by blocking up Suez Canal. The vessel has already launched a million memes, becoming everyone’s favourite metaphor for confounding failure. Speaking of which, the EU appears stuck on Covid vaccines – failing to come up with a clear agreement on what kind of export blocks should be put in place. Rebel Tory MPs, meanwhile, are angry that Britain appears stuck in a cycle of endless Covid laws, after controls were renewed for another six months.

Inside the bubble

Political editor Andrew Woodcock on what to look out for today:

The EU will continue its two-day summit by video today, with little agreed so far on the all-important question of vaccines. With the Holyrood election campaign now underway in Scotland, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar reveals his battle bus in Glasgow this morning, while Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie kicks off his party’s campaign in Peebles.

Daily briefing

MARK OF THE HAWK: Five Tory MPs are among nine British citizens hit by sanctions from China. Beijing has accused them of spreading “lies and disinformation” about human rights abuses against the Uighurs. The China hawks Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tom Tugendhat, Neil O’Brien, Tim Loughton, and Nusrat Ghani (as well as two peers, a top lawyer and leading academic) will all be banned from entering China, and Chinese institutions are banned from doing business with them. Duncan Smith has said he would wear the sanctions “as a badge of honour”, adding: “Those of us who live free lives under the rule of law must speak for those who have no voice.” The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) said it make “urgent representations” to the government and Commons’ authorities to see the MPs are “protected from danger”. There’s been no response yet from No 10. But targeting Neil O’Brien will be personal for the PM – the MP is in charge of policy at Downing Street.

TRANS-EUROPE MESS: The EU’s 27 member states have agreed to ramp up production of vaccines within the bloc. But little else has been agreed. They stopped short of explicitly backing the European Commission plan to expand controls vaccine exports (which would apply to the UK). The tougher controls are now theoretically at the EU’s disposal, but national leaders made clear they would rather not use them. France, Spain and Italy are in favour of a tougher control mechanism, with president Emmanuel Macron saying it should mark “the end of naivety”. But Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, warned: “We should not do stuff that leaves us with not more but fewer vaccines.” Speaking after talks on Thursday, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen singled out producer AstraZeneca again, demanding the company “catch up” on promised deliveries. Her predecessor, Jean Claude Juncker, offered a warning. He urged the bloc to avoid a “stupid vaccine war” with the UK.

CHECKPOINT CHARLIES: MPs have voted to extend emergency Covid powers for six months, but there were a few dozen rebels. Some 36 Conservatives (and 21 Labour MPs) voted against the measures, with Tory MP Steve Baker urging fellow parliamentarians to “say no … to a checkpoint society”. Fellow Tory Sir Charles Walker said he was going to walk all over London with a pint of milk as a protest – brandishing his milk on Channel 4 News in a slightly bizarre manner (probably best ignore Sir Charles if you happen to see him waving around his bottle of semi-skimmed). It came as Boris Johnson suggested a vaccine passport scheme for entry to pubs will only be possible once all adults have been offered a jab. The PM admitted there were “moral complexities, ethical problems” with the idea of passports – but said they “could have a role to play” as he promised an update in April and a full report in June. No 10 has suggested vaccination and negative testing status could be stored and displayed on our mobile phones. 

ON THE BUSES: Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced his city region’s bus network will be brought back under public control. It will be the first time it’s happened outside of London since the buses were privatised in the 80s. “After 35 years of rising fares and routes being cut ...We are bringing our buses back under public control,” said the popular Labour mayor. The party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said it “shows what Labour does when we are in power”. Those in power at No 10, meanwhile, are about to make a big move on haulage transport. Industry sources said the government will soon introduce Covid testing for drivers coming into the UK from mainland Europe.Elsewhere, the DUP has launched a crowdfunding appeal so unionists can help with a legal challenge against the NI protocol. Leader Arlene Foster said the plea for money was an opportunity for protocol haters to “play their part”.

EDUCATING YORKSHIRE: Gavin Williamson has decided to wade into the row over the WestYorkshire teacher suspended for showing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in class. The education secretary warned against “threats and intimidation”, describing the protests outside school (which forced pupils to stay home) as “completely unacceptable”. Williamson said teachers should be allowed to expose pupils to “challenging or controversial” issues – but said they must balance this with the need to “promote respect and tolerance”. Elsewhere, the row over David Cameron’s lobbying activities rumbles on. The former PM is now being investigated by the lobbying watchdog, the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, following reports he contacted Treasury officials on behalf of Greensill Capital. Labour MP Rupa Huq accused Cameron of “bending the ear of the now chancellor although he wasn’t on the lobbying register”. A source close to Cameron claimed to the BBC that he was “exempt” from the register.

MAN WITH A BRAND: The chancellor is under scrutiny for the cost of his ‘Brand Rishi’ project. The budget for the Treasury’s communications team was £2.7m in 2020-2021 – roughly 25 per cent more than the £2.1m spent the year before, as Rishi Sunak launched a major personal branding campaign. The Independent understands the extra spending was not directly related to publicity about emergency Covid policies. “It obviously raises eyebrows,” said Jill Rutter a former senior Treasury civil servant. “Rishi Sunak’s mask is slipping,” said Labour’s Bridget Phillipson. “It’s clear where this chancellor’s priorities really lie.” Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will unveil a new ‘let’s take this next step safely’ slogan at the first press conference at the newly-completed, £2.6m media room next week, according to reports. Let’s hope there are no tough questions for the PM on fruit. Johnson pondered the nature and origin of the kiwifruit on a visit to a north London nursery school on Thursday. “Were they discovered, or were they invented, kiwis? Did they breed kiwifruits? I don’t know...”

On the record

“This cannot be dealt with in a war atmosphere. We are not in war, and we are not enemies.”

Former EU Commission chief Jean Claude Juncker calls for calm.

From the Twitterati

“This is the difference Labour in power can make.”

Keir Starmer backs Andy Burnham’s move to take buses into public ownership…

“First Rashford, now Burnham. Stop seeking the credit for Mancs doing a great job!”

…but Aaron Bastani warns Starmer not to steal the glory.

Essential reading

James Moore, The Independent: Levelling up just isn’t happening – London is getting more than the north

Cathy Newman, The Independent: The Home Office is getting worse at managing the asylum system

Dave Keating, New Statesman: How the EU’s naivety led to its vaccine debacle

Arnab Datta, Slate: The Republicans’ long-game plan to thwart Joe Biden’s agenda

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