ASTRAZENECA will supply the EU with an additional 9 million Covid vaccines after Boris Johnson saved the UK's jab rollout from derailing.
The PM saved the UK's vaccine rollout during a series of late-night calls with the president of the European Commission.
Mr Johnson forced the bloc to back down on its bid to stop jab supplies reaching Britain.
Boris reportedly clinched victory after giving a grave warning that blocking jabs would result in the deaths of British grandparents.
Ms von der Leyen ditched plans to stop 3.5million doses of the Pfizer jab from reaching the UK after the fiery talks.
Meanwhile, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss is set to speak to officials in Japan and New Zealand on Monday to formally make the request, with negotiations expected to commence this year.
The Government says joining the partnership would deepen ties with fast-growing economies, including Mexico, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Follow our live blog below for the very latest on Brexit and the EU…
- Chiara Fiorillo
UK WANTS TO BE 'CHAMPION OF GLOBAL FREE TRADE', SAYS BORIS JOHNSON
Boris Johnson said joining the CPTPP shows the UK wants to be an "enthusiastic champion of global free trade".
The move is part of a bigger strategy across Whitehall to forge vital links with faster-growing areas of the world beyond Europe to support jobs and business at home.
Boris Johnson said: “Applying to be the first new country to join the CPTPP demonstrates our ambition to do business on the best terms with our friends and partners all over the world and be an enthusiastic champion of global free trade.”
- Chiara Fiorillo
BENEFITS OF BEING IN THE CPTPP
Membership of the Comprehensive And Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) removes tariffs on 95 per cent of goods traded between members and offers greater access to nearly £9trillion of GDP covered by its members.
Benefits of being in the CPTPP will include eliminating tariffs quicker on our exports such as whisky, allowing data to flow freely and letting cars made in the UK use more Japanese parts under “Rules of Origin” laws.
- Chiara Fiorillo
LIZ TRUSS TO KICK-START TRANS-PACIFIC TRADE TALKS
Britain is at the front of the queue to join a £9trillion trade area under post-Brexit plans to unleash a jobs and business boost.
The UK would form closer alliances with 11 current members including Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will speak today with counterparts in Japan and New Zealand to kick-start the application.
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Liz Truss will kick-start Trans-Pacific trade walks
- Chiara Fiorillo
REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY FOR TAX FREE SHOPPING
The requirements to apply for tax free shopping in the EU are:
- Reside in England, Scotland or Wales with a proof of residency required
- Meet the minimum spend criteria of the country in which the purchase is made
- Export the unused goods outside of the EU within a three-month period
WHAT IS TAX FREE SHOPPING AND WHO CAN APPLY?
Tax Free Shopping enables international shoppers to save up to 19 per cent by claiming back the VAT applied to their purchases when they shop abroad.
A variety of goods qualify for VAT refunds, including fashion, cosmetics, jewellery, technology and food and drink items, with many of the best high street retailers and global luxury brands offering Tax Free Shopping services.
HOW CAN YOU SAVE UP WHEN SHOPPING IN THE EU?
There are three simple steps to follow:
- Request a Tax Free Form after payment at the store check-out
- Get the form stamped by customs on leaving the EU
- Claim the refund
BRITS CAN SAVE UP TO 19% ON POST-BREXIT PURCHASES MADE IN THE EU
From 1 st January 2021, residents of England, Scotland and Wales who are shopping in the EU are eligible to shop Tax Free, which means they can enjoy savings by claiming back the VAT on their purchases.
To qualify, shoppers must live outside of the EU, meet the minimum spend criteria and export the goods out of the EU within three months.
A range of goods including fashion items, cosmetics, technology, jewellery, food and wine are eligible for a VAT refund.
MANUFACTURING DISRUPTION CONTINUED
Companies were also struggling to prove the UK origin of their goods in order to qualify for zero tariff access, said the report.
Make UK said customs paperwork urgently needs to be simplified on both sides of the border, so it can be completed and checked quickly before haulage journeys begin.
Its report said: "The increase in paperwork and red tape at the borders has led to substantial delays for trucks, with many left stranded across the continent because of incorrect paperwork.
"Many businesses have already taken the hard decision to put a hold on importing and exporting from the EU in a hope that things improve, but this is having a serious commercial impact on companies already struggling to survive the current Covid crisis."
MANUFACTURING DISRUPTION
Three out of five manufacturing firms are suffering "significant" disruption because of border delays since the start of the year, new research suggests.
Make UK called on the Government to find an urgent solution to the problem, which it said was caused by complex paperwork.
A survey of almost 200 firms by the manufacturing organisation found that three out of five were being hit by supply chain disruption, either importing or exporting to and from the EU.
- Ben Hill
IRISH FREIGHT TO EU DOUBLES
Irish freight volumes to and from European Union ports doubled in January, the government said on Monday, as many traders shunned the once-speedier route to the continent through Britain due to Brexit red tape and delays.
For decades, the so-called UK landbridge offered exporters the swiftest route between Ireland and mainland Europe. The UK's exit from the EU at the end of 2020 has led to a three-fold rise in direct routes in the last 12 months, mainly to French ports.
Volumes were down 50% on routes between Ireland and Britain last month, the government said. That includes the large amount of direct goods trade between the neighbouring countries.
- Joseph Gamp
GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON SAYS BORDER DISRUPTION HAS BEEN 'MINIMAL'
A Government spokesman said: "Thanks to the hard work put in by traders and hauliers to get ready for change, disruption at the border has been minimal, with goods flowing efficiently and no queues in UK ports.
"We are aware that some exporters are facing specific challenges.
"That's why we have invested millions in the customs intermediary sector, set up export helplines and are offering businesses support via our network of 300 international trade advisers.
"For importers, we took the pragmatic decision to introduce new controls in three stages, allowing traders and hauliers time to adjust to new processes and prevent disruption to supply chains."
- Joseph Gamp
MANUFACTURERS HIT BY BORDER DELAYS SINCE BREXIT, STUDY SUGGESTS
Three out of five manufacturing firms are suffering "significant" disruption because of border delays since the start of the year, new research suggests.
Make UK called on the Government to find an urgent solution to the problem, which it said was caused by complex paperwork.
A survey of almost 200 firms by the manufacturing organisation found that three out of five were being hit by supply chain disruption, either importing or exporting to and from the EU.
Companies were also struggling to prove the UK origin of their goods in order to qualify for zero tariff access, said the report.
Make UK said customs paperwork urgently needs to be simplified on both sides of the border, so it can be completed and checked quickly before haulage journeys begin.
- Joseph Gamp
CONTINUED…
New checks which have been introduced since Brexit came into force on January 1 were described as "inevitably taking additional time", but this time could be minimised through the completion of necessary procedures in advance.
Meanwhile, freight volumes on routes to mainland Europe were up 100% on last year. A number of new direct services and routes to European ports have come on stream.
In January 2020, there were 12 weekly sailings to Northern France. This rose to 36 sailings to Northern France in January 2021.
In a statement, the Irish Government said departments and state agencies recognised the new trading arrangements with Great Britain represented the biggest change for trade and business in almost 50 years.
"While many are successfully continuing to trade with Great Britain, mainly as a result of their levels of preparation ahead of December 31, some businesses, large and small, are having difficulty, in some cases severe difficulty, adapting to the new system of controls," it said.
- Joseph Gamp
TRADE DOWN 50% ON IRELAND TO GB ROUTES FROM JANUARY 2020
Trade fell by a half on Republic of Ireland to Great Britain routes from January 2020 to January 2021.
New figures from the Irish Government show that at the end of January 2021, trade volumes on ROI/GB routes were 50% of those reported in January 2020.
But trade was gradually increasing week-by-week, from 61 inbound movements between January 1 and 2, to 1,334 between January 28 and 29.
The initial drop was explained as being due to a number of factors, including Brexit stockpiling, Covid-19 restrictions and new Brexit checks and controls.
Of those freight vehicle movements coming through Irish ports, approximately 80% were green routed – meaning those trucks can leave the port immediately after arriving.
- Joseph Gamp
IRISH PREMIER CALLS FOR CALM IN THE RACE TO VACCINATE POPULATIONS
Irish premier Micheal Martin has called for calm in the race to vaccinate populations.
Mr Martin was speaking in the wake of a move by the European Union (EU) to use a post-Brexit mechanism to interfere with supply lines of the jab.
The bloc later backtracked following outrage in London, Belfast and Dublin.
The Taoiseach said more people getting vaccinated across Europe is a good thing.
"We were watching what's happening in the UK and saying, 'well done, you are vaccinating quickly and that's important'," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.
- Joseph Gamp
'TOO EARLY' TO DETERMINE WHEN UK WILL SEND VACCINES OVERSEAS, SAYS TRUSS
Liz Truss has said it is "too early" to determine when the UK will send coronavirus vaccines abroad, as she guaranteed there will be no disruption to jabs coming from the European Union.
The International Trade Secretary said that "we first need to make sure that our population is vaccinated" but insisted it would be damaging to become a "vaccinated island" while other countries go without.
Ministers have agreed to a "reset" in relations with the EU after Brussels imposed export controls on vaccines, as the bloc suffers supply shortages from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
Brussels backtracked on a widely condemned move to override part of the Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland to control shipments of jabs, risking a hard border with the Republic.
Asked if she could guarantee that the supply of Belgium-made Pfizer jabs would not be disrupted, Ms Truss told The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC: "Yes I can. The Prime Minister has spoken to the president of the European Commission. She has assured him that there will be no disruption of contracts that we have with any producer in the EU."
- Joseph Gamp
BORIS JOHNSON ‘CONFIDENT’ OF VACCINE SUPPLIES DESPITE EU ‘TOINGS AND FROINGS’
Boris Johnson has said he is “very confident” in the security of the UK’s supply of coronavirus vaccines regardless of “the toings and froings” in the European Union.
The Prime Minister said on Sunday we “will continue to take steps to protect” the deliveries, in his first public comments since Brussels briefly overrode part of the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland to impose export controls on jabs.
His comments came after ministers agreed to a “reset” in relations with the EU after the bloc’s widely-criticised move that came as it battles to solve supply shortages from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
In a video from No 10 filmed on Sunday, Mr Johnson assured a member of the public who raised concerns over whether she will get her follow-up shot of the Belgian-made Pfizer vaccine that “we’re very confident that we will be able to give you your second dose”.
- Joseph Gamp
ASTRAZENECA TO SUPPLY 9 MILLION ADDITIONAL DOSES OF VACCINE TO EU
AstraZeneca has agreed to supply 9 million additional doses of its coronavirus vaccine to the European Union during the first quarter, the bloc's executive arm said Sunday.
The new target of 40 million doses by the end of March is still only half what the British-Swedish company had originally aimed for before it announced a shortfall due to production problems, triggering a spat between AstraZeneca and the EU last week.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a call with seven vaccine makers Sunday that AstraZeneca will also begin deliveries one week sooner than scheduled and expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe.
Step forward on vaccines, tweeted Von der Leyen, who has come under intense pressure over the European Commission's handling of the vaccine orders in recent days.
The EU is far behind Britain and the United States in getting its population of 450 million vaccinated against the virus. The slow rollout has been blamed on a range of national problems as well as slower authorization of the vaccines and an initial shortage of supply.
- Joseph Gamp
WE ARE NOT IN RACE OVER VACCINES, SAYS EU CHIEF VON DER LEYEN
The head of the European Commission rejected suggestions that Europe was in a race to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus faster than other countries, saying that it was important to co-operate during the current stage of the pandemic.
The European Union’s civil service is under fire over the slow pace of vaccination in the bloc, with critics pointing to faster progress being made in Britain, Israel and the United States as evidence of a planning failure in Brussels.
“I think the only race we are in is with the virus and against time,” Ursula von der Leyen told German television on Sunday evening, adding that she had agreed with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that factories in both regions would deliver doses to each region.
- Chiara Fiorillo
BREXIT FEARS CAUSE 10,000 BRIT PENSIONERS TO FLEE EU
More than 10,000 British pensioners have left the European Union since the Brexit referendum in 2016.
New data from the Department for Work and Pensions has found there are now 10,947 fewer UK retirees living in EU countries.
The number of British pensioners living abroad in the UK peaked in 2017 at 475,000 and has since dropped to 463,774.
- Chiara Fiorillo
CALLS TO RENEGOTIATE OVER STEEL EXPORT QUOTAS
Calls have been made for the Government to renegotiate with the EU over "very damaging" quotas on UK steel exports.
UK Steel, which represents manufacturers, told the BBC post-Brexit export quotas for some products would "likely" run out in the first quarter of this year, leaving further exports subject to a 25 per cent tariff.
Welsh Labour MP for Aberavon Stephen Kinnock, whose constituency includes the Port Talbot steelworks, has called on the Government to renegotiate the "very damaging" quotas.
He said: "We need the government to get back to the negotiating table with the European Union."
- Joseph Gamp
FRENCH BLOCK OF UK BORDER COST KENT POLICE £1.2M
THE French blockade of the British border over mutant Covid cost Kent police £1.2million.
Now Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke is demanding that France pays up.
Thousands of lorry drivers were forced to spend Christmas parked near the Port of Dover before they were allowed to cross with a negative test, racking up costs in police overtime and aid.
“It’s an outrage that the UK is expected to foot the bill for France’s chaos,” Mrs Elphicke said.
- Joseph Gamp
IRISH PREMIER CALLS FOR CALM IN THE RACE TO VACCINATE POPULATIONS
Irish premier Micheal Martin has called for calm in the race to vaccinate populations.
Mr Martin was speaking in the wake of a move by the European Union (EU) to use a post-Brexit mechanism to interfere with supply lines of the jab.
The bloc later backtracked following outrage in London, Belfast and Dublin.
The Taoiseach said more people getting vaccinated across Europe is a good thing.
Mr Martin also indicated that he does not see a "major reopening of the economy" on March 5 and that the Government is likely to take a "conservative and cautious" approach to reducing restrictions.
He told RTE's This Week programme that the hospitality sector could not reopen before an increased rollout of the vaccine project.
- Joseph Gamp
MICHAEL GOVE SAYS THE EU RECOGNISED IT 'MADE A MISTAKE' IN TRIGGERING ARTICLE 16 OF NI PROTOCOL
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said on Saturday that the EU recognises it "made a mistake" in its short-lived but widely condemned move to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol to control shipments of jabs.
A compromise was struck to prevent a possible hard border with the Republic of Ireland after a flurry of diplomacy followed the EU's surprise move on Friday.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was "reassured the EU has no desire to block suppliers fulfilling contracts for vaccine distribution to the UK" after talks with European Commission executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis.
Ministers have expressed confidence the Government will hit its target of vaccinating the 15 million most vulnerable individuals in the UK by mid-February.
In a record daily rise, official data showed a 598,389 rise in the number of people vaccinated, bringing the UK-wide total to 8,977,329.
But it came as a further 587 people died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday, bringing the official death toll to 106,158.
- Joseph Gamp
'TOO EARLY' TO DETERMINE WHEN UK WILL SEND VACCINES OVERSEAS, SAYS TRUSS
Liz Truss has said it is "too early" to determine when the UK will send coronavirus vaccines abroad, as she guaranteed there will be no disruption to jabs coming from the European Union.
The International Trade Secretary said that "we first need to make sure that our population is vaccinated" but insisted it would be damaging to become a "vaccinated island" while other countries go without.
Ministers have agreed to a "reset" in relations with the EU after Brussels imposed export controls on vaccines, as the bloc suffers supply shortages from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
Brussels backtracked on a widely condemned move to override part of the Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland to control shipments of jabs, risking a hard border with the Republic.
Asked if she could guarantee that the supply of Belgium-made Pfizer jabs would not be disrupted, Ms Truss told The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC: "Yes I can.
"The Prime Minister has spoken to the president of the European Commission. She has assured him that there will be no disruption of contracts that we have with any producer in the EU."
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