Wednesday evening UK news briefing: UK faces Covid vaccine supply threat

Chris Price
·6 min read
Your evening briefing from the Telegraph
Your evening briefing from the Telegraph

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EU threatens to block exports of vaccine to Britain

The UK is set to face a "significant reduction" in vaccine supplies from the week beginning 29 March, according to a leaked letter from NHS England. According to the letter, disruption could last for up to four weeks. It comes as the European Commission president has threatened to block supplies of the Pfizer vaccines to Britain, unless the UK sends British-manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines to the EU. Ursula von der Leyen said "all options are on the table" to boost the bloc's stuttering immunisation campaign. Germany's vaccine regulator has tried to explain the rationale behind the country's decision to suspend the AstraZeneca jab over blood clot concerns as the World Health Organisation said the benefits of using it outweigh the risks. For his part, at Prime Minister's Questions today, Boris Johnson said he is due to have his Covid-19 vaccine shortly and it will "be Oxford-AstraZeneca".

Meanwhile, Dominic Cummings was his typical controversial self as he appeared in front of MPs today. The Prime Minister's former chief aide described the Department of Health as a "smoking ruin" when it came to procuring PPE at the start of the pandemic. Mr Cummings added it was "no coincidence" that the vaccine taskforce was brought directly under Number 10 following the "obviously disastrous" handling by Matt Hancock's team. At a Downing Street press conference, Mr Hancock revealed data highlighting the impact of the vaccine, including that living with someone who has received a jab will lower your risk of catching Covid-19 by 30pc. He also hailed news that everyone over the age of 50 in England is now being invited to book their first jab.

Man arrested 20 years after Barrymore pool death

Detectives acting on "significant new information" have arrested a 50-year-old man over the death of Stuart Lubbock, who died at the home of entertainr Michael Barrymore 20 years ago. Butcher Mr Lubbock, 31, had been attending a party at Barrymore's luxury home in Roydon with eight other people on March 31, 2001. Essex Police said new information had come to light following a Channel 4 documentary and police appeal with an increased reward. Read a timeline of what has happened in the 20 years since Mr Lubbock's body was found floating in the outside pool.

Why Trump wants Meghan to run for US president

Donald Trump has said he is "not a fan" of the Duchess of Sussex but hopes she will run for US president in 2024 so he could run against her. Mr Trump, during a 30-minute call to Fox News, said he did not like the way the Duchess had spoken of the Royal family and the Queen, whom he called a "tremendous person". Yet as the former president hints at plans to run again, his niece has revealed she thinks he will pretend for a while, but the fear of losing again will be too much for him to take.

At a glance: Coronavirus evening briefing

Also in the news: Today's other headlines

FA child abuse report | The Football Association has been found guilty of an inexcusable failure to stop child sexual abuse in the game in a damning report into its worst scandal. The Independent Review into Child Sexual Abuse in Football was finally published today and, as exclusively revealed by the Telegraph, it found the FA had "acted far too slowly" to combat the problem. Read on for the FA's response.

Around the world: Eight killed in attacks on spas in US

Eight people have been shot dead at three spas in the US city of Atlanta. Six of the victims were Asian women, police said, and a 21-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of the mass killing. The shootings came with many Asian-Americans already on edge following a recent spike in hate crimes against the community, and triggered immediate fears that Asian-run businesses may have been deliberately targeted. Read on for details.

Wednesday interview

'I can't understand the vitriol directed at JK Rowling'

Ralph Fiennes - Pal Hansen / The Guardian
Ralph Fiennes - Pal Hansen / The Guardian

As he announces a new tour of The Four Quartets, Ralph Fiennes talks to Dominic Cavendish about artistic freedom, TS Eliot and Bond

Read the full interview

Comment and analysis

Editor's choice

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  3. 'Why are people so mean to me?' | My heartbreaking chats with Caroline Flack

Business and money briefing

5G auction | Mobile operators have avoided a hefty bill for 5G airwaves in a swift auction that attracted less investment than expected, sending BT shares sharply higher. Read on for the details.

Sport briefing

Cheltenham Festival | Tiger Roll delivered a stunning comeback win today to add a third Cross Country Chase to his two Grand Nationals.

Three things for tonight

And finally... for this evening's downtime

Tweed to succeed | The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated St Patrick's Day with a cropped, green jacket from Zara. The tweed blazer is practically lime but Lisa Armstrong sets out why it suits her and how Kate always nails St. Patrick's Day style.