View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Science & Tech
  2. Coronavirus
21 April 2020updated 06 Oct 2020 9:45am

Evening summary: PPE confusion reigns, but vaccine trial shows promise

By Samuel Horti

Sir Simon McDonald, the foreign office’s most senior civil servant, was unequivocal when he spoke to the foreign office select committee earlier today. The UK took a “political decision” not to join an EU procurement scheme for medical equipment such as ventilators – one for which ministers were fully briefed. This contradicted the government’s line that a “communication error” had stopped the UK joining the scheme.

However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock was just as unequivocal when, at this afternoon’s Downing Street coronavirus briefing, he said the complete opposite. Not only was there no “political decision” to avoid the scheme, but the UK was now actually a part of the scheme, something the government had not mentioned up until this point. The procurement programme had not yet yielded any items of PPE, Hancock said.

So are we in, or are we out? And did the UK initially decide to join, or didn’t it? Soon after Hancock’s comments, reports emerged that McDonald would be writing to the foreign affairs select committee to row back (or “clarify”, if you prefer) his remarks. The best explanation so far, via the Times Brussels correspondent Bruno Waterfield and others, seems to be that the UK has been on the scheme’s steering committee since March (which explains Hancock’s comments), but that it was not part of early tenders (it’s still not clear why). Hopefully we’ll receive more clarity over the next few hours.

In more concrete news, a government-backed clinical trial in Oxford will begin testing coronavirus vaccines in humans this Thursday, Hancock announced, adding that it would normally take years to reach this stage. The chance of any individual vaccine trial yielding a usable vaccine is slim, but Hancock promised to back the research, co-ordinated through the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, “to the hilt”.

On personal protective equipment (PPE), the UK is still waiting for an 84-tonne shipment to arrive from Turkey, but Hancock said the government is now working with 159 potential UK suppliers of PPE to ensure stocks don’t run out. This is on top of larger orders it will place overseas, he said. PPE levels remain dangerously low in some hospitals, and protective gowns are in particularly short supply.

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU