Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned that any attempt by the European Union to block vaccine exports would be “counterproductive”.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said it could halt exports amid frustration the bloc is not getting the supplies it wants.
Mr Wallace told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “The European Union will know that the rest of the world is looking at the commission at how it conducts itself.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: EU threatens AstraZeneca with export ban
“If contracts and undertakings get broken that is a very damaging thing to happen for a trading bloc which prides itself on the rule of law.
“It would be counterproductive because the one thing we know about vaccine production and manufacturing is that it is collaborative.
“How the vaccine is manufactured involves countries not just in Europe, not just the United Kingdom, but even further afield in such places as India.
“If we start to unpick that, if the commission were to start to do that, I think they would undermine not only their citizens’ chances of having a proper vaccine programme, but also many other countries around the world with the reputational damage to the EU, I think, they would find very hard to change over the short-term.”
Wallace also defended the UK Government's plans to extend lockdown powers in England for another six months.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Fewer than one in five applicants get self-isolation grants in some areas
He said: “The final mile is the most important thing for us all, make sure we buckle down, get through the different stages the Prime Minister set out.
“At each stage we will be taking assessments from the science, from where we are in the pandemic, and take the steps required.
“It is not a one-way street. Just because we are seeking to extend the powers doesn’t mean we are deaf to how facts change on the ground.”
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy, on vaccine exports, added on Andrew Marr's show that she "would urge the European Commission to calm down the language, cool the rhetoric and let’s try to work together to get through this crisis.
Vaccine supply issues could result in the UK’s vaccination programme being “delayed slightly”, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said.
However, Professor Jeremy Brown said due to the vaccination programme being “ahead of schedule” it will likely only fall back to the original timetable.
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