BORIS Johnson reportedly ordered spies to plan a raid on a Dutch Covid vaccine factory after an EU threat to seize millions of doses.
The ex-PM, 59, was said to have told senior spies to investigate “military options” for retrieving jabs from an AstraZeneca plant in Leiden in the Netherlands in March 2021.
At the time the European Commission threatened to block the doses from being shipped to the UK as it struggled with its vaccine rollout during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A source was quoted as telling the Daily Mail: “The EU had basically sequestered 5million doses of our vaccine.
“He ordered officials to look at all options for responding, and that did include asking the security services to look at whether there were any options for physically going and taking the vaccines from the Netherlands and bringing them here.”
Another added: “It went well beyond trade retaliation – it was diplomatic, security, everything.
“He felt he was fighting for British lives and at one point he did ask whether there were military options for just going and getting these vaccines.
“The EU’s actions were so aggressive that it did not seem such an outlandish idea.”
The plot was eventually abandoned after mandarins warned it would cause international tension and could harm the supply of jabs from plants elsewhere in the EU.
This included an even bigger batch of Pfizer vaccines being made elsewhere on the continent.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she could block vaccine exports to make sure “that Europe gets its fair share”, after AstraZeneca refused to divert supplies from British plants to EU states.
Whitehall officials were able to replace most of the Dutch vaccines with supplies from India, allowing the rollout in the UK to continue at speed.
Mr Johnson is expected to mention the extraordinary episode when he appears before the Covid Inquiry this week.
He is also expected to vent his anger at the EU’s handling of the situation and defend key decisions made by his Government.
He will reportedly highlight a different occasion when the commission threatened to impose border controls on Ireland, to stop EU-made vaccines from getting into Northern Ireland.
Mr Johnson reportedly had a “furious” phone call with France’s president Emmanuel Macron over the issue.
The former PM is also tipped to insist his administration “got the big calls right” during the pandemic, not only with vaccines but also in opening up society after the last of several lockdowns.
But he will also acknowledge the pain caused by the UK death toll which has officially passed 230,000, the Mail suggested.
Mr Johnson is also expected to hit back at claims by his former senior aide Dominic Cummings that he behaved “like a trolley”.
He will be grilled over his handling of the pandemic at the inquiry this Wednesday and Thursday.
An ally of the ex-PM told The Sun on Sunday: “The only trolley involved were the trolleys full of vaccines Boris helped deliver for the UK.
“Boris only changed his views when the scientific advice changed – the experts kept changing their tune on issues.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to give evidence before Christmas.
A spokesman for Mr Johnson declined to comment on the latest claims.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
