Keir Starmer 'playing political game' with covid says Holden

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EU Commissioner, Thierry Breton, celebrated the success of Ireland’s vaccine rollout by tweeting that EU factories “keep supplying vaccines to the world”. Mr Breton said: “More than 70 percent of Irish adults are now fully vaccinated, surpassing the UK (73 percent vs 72 percent).” According to the latest figures, Ireland has surpassed the UK with its vaccine rollout. 73 percent of adults have been vaccinated in Ireland compared to 72 percent in the UK.

The comments from the commissioner come a month after a row started when the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca failed to deliver doses it had promised to the EU under its procurement contract, with Brussels claiming the doses were being diverted to Britain.

The row resulted in the European Union taking AstraZeneca to court.

The EU made a claim for millions of euros and for creating a mechanism to allow EU countries to block vaccine exports.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused the EU in April of vaccine “brinkmanship”.

Replying to Mr Breton’s comments, Nadim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, said the efforts were not a “race”.

Mr Zahawi said: “We want to help vaccinate the whole world.”

Ireland, Malta and Belgium have now all reached the 70 percent mark of fully vaccinated people.

At this stage epidemiologists consider herd immunity to have been reached.

Micheal Martin, the Irish Taoiseach, used his country’s success to have a dig at Britain, saying: “The vaccine rollout is continuing at great pace. Today, we edged ahead of our nearest neighbours.”

Latest figures show that, on average, across the EU’s 27 member states 67.5 percent of adults have had both doses of the vaccine.

On Monday, a UK Government spokesman said: “Thanks to the tireless work of our NHS, armed forces and volunteers, we have delivered more than 85 million life-saving vaccines across the UK.

“We have one of the highest Covid-19 vaccine uptake rates in the world and over 72 percent of adults have received both doses.

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“The Government and NHS are working together to provide information and advice at every opportunity on how to get a vaccine and its benefits, including through a range of innovative partnerships.”

Despite Mr Breton’s comments, only 59.5 percent of French people have been fully vaccinated with just 77.4 percent having received the first dose.

Some people have criticises the French Commissioner.

Jacob F Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, told the Telegraph: “Here is a chance for him to take a shot a Boris Johnson’s great success story, but this is precisely not helpful.

“Breton is using Ireland’s success as personal self-promotion. He has a receptive audience for this at home in France but also in Brussels, where people are frustrated with the UK over the Northern Ireland Protocol battles.”

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