Don’t need EU! German MEP hails Brexit Britain’s vaccine victory ‘free of Brussels chains’

EU's 'shambolic' vaccine rollout criticised by Ann Widdecombe

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Gunnar Beck MEP says the UK has been able to take advantage of “Brexit freedoms” to deliver a world-beating vaccination programme. In stark contrast, the influential member of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, stated the EU adopted a strategy of “backscratching, bickering and failure”.

The 55-year-old added Germany “could have done so much better on its own, without the dead hand of the EU”.

The UK has administered almost 20 million vaccine doses to around 35 percent of the population.

Across the EU the rate of vaccinations has been slow, Germany has inoculated just five per cent of its 84million population.

In France around four percent of people have been given their jab.

Mr Beck traces the issues back to last July when Brexit Britain was able to go it alone and ordered 90 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, while the EU dithered and delayed on behalf of all 27 member states.

He said: “The roots of the problem date to early last summer when it was slow to secure vaccine supplies, particularly in comparison with Britain.

“While Britain used its Brexit freedoms to obtain a range of different vaccines and organise a national rollout, the EU went into its default mode of mutual backscratching, bickering and failure.”

Mr Beck added the bloc is in a “perpetual crisis” and insisted the EU’s focus on working together has had a detrimental effect.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said: “Brussels true believers are hell-bent on sticking to their project, the construction of a centralised super-state.”

Mr Beck added: “It’s a perfect illustration of why all too often, harmonisation means levelling down to the lowest common denominator.

“And why Britain, freed of its chains, can finally take decisions in its own national interest.

“Germany could have done so much better on its own, without the dead hand of the EU True believers are hell-bent on the construction of a centralised super-state.

“The Oxford vaccine was dismissed as a low-budget Aldi alternative.”

The Oxford-AstraZeneca has been hit with unfounded criticisms from European leaders – including Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel.

The French President claimed the vaccine was “quasi-ineffective” in the older generation – but the jab was later approved by the European regulator.

Scientists have since found the vaccine reduces the risk of hospital admissions by 94 percent, four weeks after the first dose.

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Germany has only approved the vaccine for people aged 18-64 and Angela Merkel said she would not take the vaccine herself.

The German health ministry said this week it had administered only 15 percent of the AstraZeneca shots it has available, amid concerns raised by German officials.

The recommendation for the vaccine to be administered to those under the age of 65 came from Germany’s expert panel on vaccine use (STIKO).

Thomas Mertens, head of STIKO, hinted on Friday Germany is set to make a U-turn on the Oxford jab and said updated recommendations would be issued soon.

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