Ursula von der Leyen’s ‘European People’s Party’ is hosting a virtual event this afternoon entitled “A Jab to Fake News”. This in the same week that von der Leyen herself has taken to claiming – without evidence – that the UK has compromised on vaccine safety. Seriously.
Among the speakers are former European Council President Donald Tusk along with current Health Commissioner (and vaccine nationalist) Stella Kyriakides. This comes after figures within Germany’s governing CDU Party – also a member of the EPP – have been rumoured to be behind false briefing that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is only 8% effective on those older than 65, fake claims that have been promoted in the German press and taken up by Emmanuel Macron. Guido’s not sure the EPP are the people to firefight vaccine fake news…
A Brussels insider with knowledge of the event tells Guido the federalist party will attempt to use the conference to try and push the message that the EU should be more involved in healthcare. The classic reflex of the Eurofederalist. A problem in Europe? The answer: more EU.
New from Donald Tusk:
The EU27 has agreed that it will accept the UK’s request for a #Brexit flextension until 31 January 2020. The decision is expected to be formalised through a written procedure.
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 28, 2019
Third time lucky…
Boris responds to Tusk…
“I don’t want a No Deal Brexit but I say to our EU friends if they don’t want No Deal they have got to get rid of the backstop from treaty. If Donald Tusk doesn’t want to go down in history as Mr No Deal Brexit then I hope this point will be borne in mind by him too.”
Following Boris’s letter to the EU last night, the EU Commission has written to the Council in response to the points raised by the PM, refusing to budge on the Backstop and rejecting Boris’s accusation that it is not democratic. Shows what passes for ‘democracy’ in the eyes of the EU…
The letter claims the UK has offered “no realistic alternatives”, but says the Commission is “ready to work constructively within our mandate” and will “analyse any operational UK ideas that are compatible with the existing WA”. Read it in full here:
