by Alessandra Scotto di Santolo, DailyExpress
The UK Government has terminated an agreement with French pharmaceutical company Valneva for its COVID-19 vaccination, the company said. Some 100 million doses of the vaccine were put on order after the UK increased its request by 40 million in February. The move was lambasted in France with Le Figaro readers claiming Boris Johnson’s Government is acting in revenge for the EU’s decision to end its contract with AstraZeneca.
One person said: “It smacks of revenge following AstraZeneca’s problems…”
And another noted: “With the British, what else to expect?
“Valneva is in breach of its obligations regarding a vaccine that is only under development. All this, not to say frankly: ‘we changed our minds’.
“The French state is failing in its obligations concerning migrants, even though we are even going to look for them at sea to bring them back to us.
“Europe refuses to re-renegotiate a post-Brexit agreement, and Boris Johnson’s whims are not satisfied.
“Always equal to themselves, the English.”
“Another proof of UK deceit,” someone else added.
Another reader echoed: “Poor Englishmen. Bitter to the rind.
“The EU has terminated its AstraZeneca contract (for good reason, by the way), so we are doing the same to you.
Not only is it totally childish, but it just reflects the level of dismay in the UK. The boat sinks.”
Others claimed the decision was also a move in retaliation for the EU ongoing Brexit row with the UK.
They said: “Illustration of the Anglo-European conflict which may have resulted from Brexit.”
But some also came to the defence of the UK government.
One person argued: “Given the level of vaccination in the UK, the British no longer need this vaccine that’s all.
“They had ordered in early 2020 from everyone since we did not know who would get to provide a vaccine first.”
