Steve Baker claims 'excessive' Coronavirus Act 'should go'

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The former Conservative MEP described these as “wartime measures” from Brussels which mean Britain can “hardly carry on treating it as an ally”. Britain has surged far ahead of the EU in its vaccination programme with more than half the adult population receiving jabs.

However the rollout across Europe has been slow and chaotic sparking fury.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has threatened to stop vaccine exports to Britain.

She is demanding Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines made in the UK be sent to the EU.

Writing for the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Hannan said: “There is no way to interpret the threat of a vaccine export ban other than as a hostile act aimed at Britain.

“When the EU declared that it would require export licenses, it carefully exempted every neighbouring state except one.

“Its ban would not apply to Iceland or Morocco or Turkey or Belarus – only to the UK.

“Now, beset by continuing delays, and furious at Britain’s relative success, it has escalated further, threatening to commandeer factories, seize lawfully purchased supplies and violate intellectual property rights.

“When a neighbour threatens you with wartime measures, you can hardly carry on treating it as an ally.”

Coronavirus cases are surging across much of Europe, sparking fears of a third wave.

Additional lockdown restrictions have been imposed in France and Poland in a bid to stop its spread.

Mr Hannan suggested EU belligerence means Britain should seek closer relationships with Anglosphere and Commonwealth nations.

He commented: “The EU’s behaviour over the past year must prompt a reappraisal of our geopolitical goals.

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“Such a reappraisal was, in any case, overdue.

“The relative narrowing of Britain’s vision, its peculiar focus on Europe, was a product of the Cold War.

“For most of the past four centuries, we have been a blue-water nation, chiefly interested in trans-continental commerce, open sea-lanes, and links to distant trading posts.”

Britain formally left the EU after 47 years of membership in January 2020.

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However it remained in a Brexit transition phase until the end of December, during which the UK still had to follow many EU rules and pay into the Brussels budget.

Britain now trades with the EU based on the deal agreed by Boris Johnson and has a fully independent trade policy.

However under the Prime Minister’s agreement Northern Ireland remains tied to the European single market.

As a result some customs checks take place on trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

This has infuriated unionists who argue it undermines British sovereignty.

Mr Hannan argued Brussels regards the UK as “a renegade province whose wings need clipping” meaning Britain should see to “soar higher”.

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