British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has rejected an assertion by European Council President Charles Michel that Britain had banned exports of Covid-19 vaccines, saying his government opposed vaccine nationalism in all its forms.
Speaking in the House of Comments, Mr Johnson used his introductory comments to "correct" Mr Michel's suggestion and asked the chamber to join him in rejecting it.
"We can also be proud of the support the UK has given to the international Covid response ... I therefore wish to correct the suggestion from the European Council president that the UK has blocked vaccine exports," he said.
"Let me be clear we have not blocked the export of any single Covid-19 vaccine or vaccine components. This pandemic has put us all on the same side in the battle for global health, we oppose vaccine nationalism in all its forms."
A senior European Union diplomat was summoned to the British Foreign Office this morning.
Nicole Mannion, deputy ambassador of the EU to the UK, attended the meeting after Mr Michel accused Britain and the US of imposing bans on the movement of jabs.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab wrote to Mr Michel yesterday seeking to "set the record straight", saying that "any references to a UK export ban or any restrictions on vaccines are completely false".
Mr Raab insisted the British government "has not blocked a single Covid-19 vaccine or vaccine components", adding: "We are all facing this pandemic together."
Anger over the claim being repeated within the EU and the Commission, despite the UK correcting the record on each occasion, is understood to have led to the deputy ambassador being summoned to the Foreign Office.
A spokesman for the EU delegation said: "This morning Nicole Mannion, deputy ambassador of the EU to the UK and charge d'affaires at the EU Delegation to the UK attended a meeting at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
"We have no further comment at this stage."
Mr Michel, in a newsletter yesterday, said he was "shocked" when he heard allegations of vaccine nationalism levelled at the EU, saying: "The facts do not lie."
He added: "The United Kingdom and the United States have imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory.
"But the European Union, the region with the largest vaccine production capacity in the world, has simply put in place a system for controlling the export of doses produced in the EU."
In January, the EU briefly attempted to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to impose controls on vaccines.
But it swiftly backtracked after coming in for widespread criticism over the move, which came as it faced significant pressure over delays to the rollout of its vaccination programme.
Additional reporting PA
