After yesterday’s PMQs theatre, Labour reluctantly admitted Starmer had called for UK membership of the European Medicines Agency post-Brexit. Guido can reveal Starmer went further than merely talking the talk – he voted for an amendment in 2018 that would have seen the UK bound into EMA membership. The amendment in question was New Clause 17 to the 2018 Trade Bill, which read:

“It shall be the objective of an appropriate authority to take all necessary steps to implement an international trade agreement, which enables the UK to fully participate after exit day in the European medicines regulatory network partnership between the European Union, European Economic Area and the European Medicines Agency.”

During the epic May-era parliamentary battle, Starmer, along with 240 Labour MPs, two sitting Tories and others – voted for this, trying to ensure the UK made it a negotiating objective “to participate in the European medicines regulatory network partnership between the EU, EEA and the European Medicines Agency”. At the time proclaiming this would ensure patients continue “to have access to high-quality, effective and safe pharmaceutical and medical products, fully aligned with the member states of the EU and EEA.” Keir might be be hoping we have forgotten, Guido is not convinced his famously forensic legal brain would have really forgotten...

The sclerotic European Medicines Agency has today announced that, after requesting yet more data from Astra Zeneca, with a “possible conclusion” expected for the end of January, or perhaps even longer, “depending on data and evaluation progress“. It’s not as if thousands are dying every day…

After having received more data from the company, EMA is expecting Astra Zeneca to submit a conditional marketing application for its #COVID19vaccine next week. Possible conclusion - end of Jan, depending on data and evaluation progress. #EMAPublicMeeting2

— EU Medicines Agency (@EMA_News) January 8, 2021

The EU is clearly starting to wake up to how worrying delaying this vaccine is. This morning Ursula von der Leyen announced she is now graciously allowing EU countries to individually procure 300 million more doses. Something that Germany was doing behind their backs anyway. This EU Commission U-turn is a world away from the claims they had ordered “more than enough doses”. Ditching the EU’s disastrous common scheme is perhaps the first big benefit of Britain’s Brexit mindset.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn is clearly feeling the pressure as cases soar and Germany descends into even tighter lockdown, closing all non-essential businesses and even schools until at least January. Spahn took to Twitter yesterday to beg the EU to approve the vaccine, arguing that the EU’s delay is undermining “the trust of the citizens in the ability of the European Union to act” and “Every day that we start vaccinating earlier will reduce suffering”. Though, of course, Brexit had no effect on the UK’s early approval…

Experts like Paul Welfens of the University of Wuppertal are now arguing that Germany’s delays cost more than 20,000 lives. Meanwhile, the UK has been vaccinating for a week and the US starts today. Spahn reportedly confessed yesterday at a Corona summit with the German Chancellor over the weekend that “Germany would have been significantly faster in a single, national approval process.”

The best selling European newspaper Bild came out with a scorching lead editorial yesterday slamming the German Government for “political failure” over Coronavirus. The paper writes that whilst Germany came through the early part of this pandemic relatively unscathed, that is now in the past and the country is struggling.

“we are currently only watching how other countries start vaccinating because the EU is lagging behind with approval due to reasons of deadlines. If every day counts, that is unreasonable. The first German was vaccinated yesterday – in England …“