There’s been much discussion about vaccine exportation recently. A viral tweet claimed that while the EU has exported 41 million doses, mostly to the UK,  the UK has exported none. In a statement, European Commission President Ursula also repeated this 41 million figure.

But this is how many vaccines have been exported from vaccine manufacturers in EU states, rather than by the EU as an organisation.

As for the UK’s vaccine exports, it is likely that this figure is zero.

Of the vaccines approved for use in the UK, only the AstraZeneca vaccine is made here. The UK government and AstraZeneca have repeatedly declined to say how many Covid-19 vaccines the UK has exported.

European Council President, Charles Michel, suggested the UK had imposed an “outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory.”

Boris Johnson denied this, asserting: “We have not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine.” So if vaccine exports haven’t been blocked, why haven’t any been exported?

This seems to be because of the specifics of the contracts the UK signed with producers and reportedly how quickly vaccine fulfilment negotiations with AstraZeneca and other firms began.

Social media users have implied that an incident at Bristol’s ‘Kill The Bill’ protest may have been staged.

An Instagram user searched the number plate of a vandalised police car and discovered its MOT had expired, branding it a “prop”.

Although it’s true the vehicle’s MOT had expired, it doesn’t really matter as police cars are exempt from MOT tests.

MOT tests are enforced under the Road Traffic Act 1988, but certain categories of vehicles, including police vehicles, do not have to be registered through MOT certification.

So, although the vehicle’s registration has expired, this does not mean it was part of a set-up. 

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