European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is reportedly under pressure to resign her post, after a disastrous and short-lived where the EU President took a decision to block vaccines travelling to the UK.
The call to block vaccines entering the UK, after a dispute with drugmaker AstraZeneca vaccine over a shortage of supply, would have breached the Belfast Good Friday peace agreement by creating an internal border on the island of Ireland.
The EU quickly retreated from its position after a global backlash, with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove saying Brussels had recognised its “mistake”.
AstraZeneca vaccine shortages
The U-turn came as EU politicians face pressure to increase the speed of their Covid vaccine rollouts, after a very slow start.
This was exacerbated by AstraZeneca’s announcement that it would not be able to deliver as many vaccines to the EU as planned, due to manufacturing difficulties.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that the decision was taken by von der Leyen without consulting other top EU officials and that Brussels diplomats were now calling for her resignation.
One diplomat told the Telegraph: “She needs to go. Now!
The EU’s struggle to roll out vaccines as quick as the UK has been because it signed deals with major drugmakers to buy potential vaccines months later than Boris Johnson.
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