Anti-Brexit Politicians queued up to slam the Government over the summer for rejecting the EU’s common vaccine procurement and distribution scheme that has so far held up any EU member state from being able to vaccinate its population. Guido noted this morning that in two weeks the UK carried out more vaccinations than Germany expects to be able to in the early part of next year. Yet until recently the mainstream pro-EU view was that the UK had shot itself in the foot by leaving the EU’s collective vaccine scheme.
Guido has previously noted the now-comical media editorials, in both The Observer and Guardian recently claiming that “Brexit means coronavirus vaccine will be slower to reach the UK – and it will cost more here because of the UK pulling out of the European Medicines Agency on 30 December”, and the Independent claiming the Government was “putting Brexit before health”. Now we know if these pro-EU politicians had got their way we’d still be desperately waiting for a single vaccine dose:
Meanwhile anti-Brexit campaign founded by Gina Miller Best for Britain hyped up the EU scheme mocked Matt Hancock for saying an independent Britain could do it faster, and even launched a campaign for the UK to join the EU’s vaccine procurement, saying “make sure Britain doesn’t fall to the back of the queue for a coronavirus vaccine.” Perhaps their efforts would have been better placed convincing the EU to let the UK run their procurement for them…
If an MP had spent a whopping £7,000 of taxpayers’ money on top tech gear, “comms management” and social media training, you would expect to see some results. Ruth Cadbury billed the taxpayer for a Macbook Pro, an iPad Air 2 and an office full of new computers, as well as funnelling £2,575 to former Gordon Brown SpAd Caroline Badley to teach her, among other things, how to use social media. Your money well spent? After the social media splurge Ruth has a measly 680 Facebook followers, just 5,000 odd Twitter followers, and a grand total of zero YouTube subscribers. Is this taxpayer cash actually being spent on anything or is it just lining the pockets of a Labour crony?