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Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson shares details about a secret plan to raid a Dutch factory for COVID-19 vaccines amid EU export threats in 2021.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that he ordered military leaders to plan a secret raid on a Dutch factory in March 2021. The goal was to secure five million COVID-19 vaccines that the European Union (EU) threatened to stop from being sent to the United Kingdom.

Johnson shared that the deputy chief of the UK's defense staff at the time, Lieutenant General Doug Chalmers, informed him that a raid could be done. The plan involved using small boats to cross the English Channel and navigate through the canals in the Netherlands. However, Chalmers warned Johnson about the potential fallout if the plan was discovered.

Chalmers explained that if they were caught, they would have to justify invading a NATO ally. Johnson admitted in his memoir that he secretly agreed with the concerns. He thought the idea was "nuts" but didn’t want to say so out loud.

The UK’s defense ministry and Chalmers, who is now the chair of the government’s committee on standards in public life, did not immediately comment on Johnson's statements.

The COVID-19 vaccines in question were created by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. While the UK was using the vaccines widely, the doses from the Dutch factory were still waiting for approval from the EU.

Both the UK and the EU had contracts with AstraZeneca for the vaccines. However, the EU wanted to hold back the finished vaccines from the Dutch factory for its own use. Johnson believed EU officials were under pressure from French President Emmanuel Macron.

After two months of negotiations with the EU, Johnson felt frustrated. He believed the EU was treating the UK unfairly because the UK was vaccinating its population much faster than the EU. Johnson noted, "After two months of futile negotiation, I had come to the conclusion that the EU was treating us with malice and spite."

The situation in March 2021 was critical for the UK. The government faced a lot of pressure to secure enough vaccines for its people. Johnson knew that getting these vaccines was not just about health. It was also about national pride and relations with other countries.

This revelation about the raid plan gives a glimpse into the challenges Johnson faced during the pandemic. His memoir shows the urgency and pressure leaders can feel in times of crisis.

Ultimately, Boris Johnson was forced to leave office in 2022 due to various scandals. These included breaking rules during the pandemic. His story about the planned raid reflects the difficulties faced by his administration during a challenging time in history.

 

 

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