‘BREXIT BRIEF’ – ISSUE 113, 3 April 2020

Friends and acquaintances

It has been a tough week, a time when countries around the world need support from others. The European Union exists for this purpose; 27 nation states which come together to cooperate on matters of shared interest. Last week I reported that, despite no longer being a member, the UK had been invited to participate in an EU scheme to purchase ventilators and other essential equipment to deal with coronavirus. But the UK Government refused because, according to Boris Johnson’s spokesperson, “we are not a member of the EU.” Downing Street later changed its script to say that it had not received the relevant emails.  The latter claim was clung to by Brexit-loving Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove on Sunday morning, when he told the BBC that there had been “communication confusion” – before adding, bizarrely even for him, that he was unaware of the details.

I suggested last week that the truth was likely to emerge, and it appears that we are edging closer. 24 hours after Gove’s interview, The Guardian reported that UK civil servants had attended four separate meetings where EU projects to bulk buy medical kit were discussed. The first took place in January.   Minutes seen by the newspaper show that a British official joined eight out of 12 EU Health Security Committee meetings dedicated to the COVID-19 outbreak.   Peter Liese, a German MEP who sits on the committee, said there had also been telephone calls between UK and EU officials about the procurement scheme. “I know that they [British officials] were at a working level interested in joint procurement,” he said. Mr Liese also dismissed the UK Government’s claim that they missed emails, saying: “It was not that they were not aware, but it was a decision not to participate.” 

But why? Two reasons, it would seem.  Downing Street has already effectively admitted to the first: a Brexiteer fixation with not being seen to work or cooperate with the EU, no matter what damage it does to this country or its people.   The second appears to be that the UK Government thought it would be able to backfill any ventilator shortage via the dubious offices of Donald Trump. The US President added significant weight to this belief last weekend when he spoke about a telephone call he had just completed with Boris Johnson. Trump told reporters: “Before I even was able to get a word out of him…I said, ‘How you doing?’ and he said, ‘We need ventilators’. ‘The UK needs ventilators, a lot of countries need ventilators, badly.’”  Later in the week, Trump added insult to the UK Prime Minister’s self-inflicted wounds when he criticised Johnson’s initial coronavirus strategy. Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser, explained last month that the Government’s “aim” was to “not suppress” the disease completely but instead “build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease.”  Trump observed on Wednesday: “In the UK they were looking at that, they have a name for it, but we won’t even go by the name. It would have been very catastrophic I think if that had happened.” Downing Street did not respond to his comments.  

NHS workers are the best of us

There have been many heroes this week, as people across the UK came together to help each other and save lives. None more so than those healthcare professionals who have put themselves on the front line. Several doctors and nurses have lost their lives, most of them originating from overseas. My sincere sympathies are with their families and friends.     

Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary with responsibility for devising a harsh post-Brexit immigration system, has announced that thousands of foreign NHS employees will have their work visas automatically extended for free so they can stay and help coronavirus sufferers. She said in a statement: “Doctors, nurses and paramedics from all over the world are playing a leading role in the NHS's efforts to tackle coronavirus and save lives. We owe them a great deal of gratitude for all that they do.”  The fact that it has taken a global pandemic to force someone such as Ms Patel - with a proud history of anti-immigration views – to put her name to these words, should be a matter of personal shame for her and collective embarrassment for the Government she serves in. Now is the time to draw a line, think again and inject some common sense into UK immigration policy.

Meanwhile in America…

“COVID-19.  You know what that is, right?  Become a very famous term. C-O-V-I-D. COVID.” These were the sage words of Donald Trump last night as he explained to the White House press corps that coronavirus and COVID-19 were actually one and the same thing. Where would the Free World be without him?  In a week when the US death toll passed 6,000, Trump chose to pick fights with Democratic State Governors, rather than ease their concerns over a grave shortage of ventilators and personal protective equipment.  He accused states including New York, which has the highest number of confirmed cases, of hoarding ventilators. "Many of the states are stocked up," Trump said. "Some of them don't admit it.  We have sent just so much, so many things to them, including ventilators." He added that he wouldn’t release any of the 10,000 spare ventilators kept in the Strategic National Stockpile, because they were his "to hold in case of emergency."  The expectation is that they have been reserved for future use by Republican Governors in Trump-friendly states where the coronavirus spread is yet to gather pace.   

Have a safe weekend.

Jason

Dr Jason Aldiss BEM BVSc MRCVS

Managing Director, Eville & Jones

 You can follow me on Twitter @JasonAldiss