Henry Riley 4am - 7am
EU 'playing politics with public health' amid vaccines controversy
20 March 2021, 16:43
EU 'playing politics with public health' in AZ row
The EU have a track record of throwing their weight around and the latest attacks on AstraZeneca are another example, Maajid Nawaz argues.
Maajid Nawaz believes the EU "have politicised public health" and as the UK's vaccine tsar accused the bloc of being "completely irresponsible" in their skepticism of the Oxford-AstraZeneca dose, Maajid suggested that this is just another phase of a long line of the EU looking for political gains in awkward situations.
Read More: France declares only those aged 55 and over should have AstraZeneca jab
"If you're prepared to use your administrative power; your bureaucracy and your red tape to play politics with public health, what else are you playing politics with?" Maajid wondered.
He reminded listeners that both the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are under fire in their domestic political spheres and are looking for ways to gain support from voters by showing a heavy hand internationally.
"It becomes almost impossible to avoid the conclusion that they've been playing politics, for electoral politics' sake, with public health," Maajid concluded, stressing that "that doesn't mean that that doesn't happen here in Britain."
German MP: Macron is 'a layman' when it comes to vaccines
Read More: PM should trigger Article 16 to 'protect Northern Ireland,' DUP MP claims
He argued that"it's important to point out when it happens in the EU because it has very very serious consequences," because of the economic might the bloc wields.
He went on to note that since Brexit the EU has invoked Article 16 by effectively creating a border in Northern Ireland before promptly backing down and had also threatened navy skirmishes in the channel over fishing rights.
"Are they trying to royally mess us up?" Maajid wondered.
"You see this issue with the AstraZeneca vaccine and you begin joining the dots that this appears to be somewhat of a desire for a revenge against Britain."
"The veil is lifting slightly," he warned.
Read More: Covid-19 crisis in numbers: LBC brings you the stats you need to know
Listen & subscribe: Global Player | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify