Emily Thornberry outlines 10-point vaccine plan that could undermine UK’s stellar rollout

Matt Hancock announces trial of coronavirus booster vaccines

To date, 3,426,255 people around the world have died after testing positive for COVID-19. In the UK, the vaccine rollout has been widely praised after more than 36,000,000 people have received their first jab.

More than 20,000,000 have received their second jab meaning they are fully vaccinated against the virus.

But now Labour has written an open letter to International Trade Secretary Liz Truss outlining its 10-point plan to produce enough vaccines for the whole world.

Shadow International Trade Secretary, Emily Thornberry, tweeted the letter and said: “Here is Labour’s 10-point plan to produce enough vaccines for the whole world, win the battle against COVID-19, and put in place the tools we need to fight future pandemics.

“If 2021 is Britain’s year of global leadership, we need to see it on vaccines now.”

Emily Thornberry outlines Labour’s 10-point plan (Image: Getty)

Labour’s letter urges the World Health Organisation (WHO) to work rapidly with countries to establish a “global register of facilities in every region which could be used either for full-scale vaccine production or for ‘fill and finish’ operations”.

They also said the world needs a “centrally-managed programme of investment to establish and equip dozens of new facilities in countries and regions across the world”.

The 10-point plan also included a need for an equally significant “global procurement programme for essential supplies” and a “comprehensive plan to transfer the expertise, knowledge and skills required to start vaccine production at the new facilities established around the world”.

Labour also called for an “immediate increase in global support for health services in developing countries”.

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International Trade Secretary Liz Truss (Image: Getty)

The “global community must commit to the mass production and distribution of whichever vaccines have proven most efficient to produce, and most stable in terms of transport and storage,” the letter reads.

Elsewhere in the 10-point plan, Labour said the pandemic should be a trigger for a “coordinated, long-term, properly-funded global effort to develop viable orally active vaccines in solid dose form”.

They also added how there must a “coordinated global push to accelerate the development of an effective antiviral treatment” for coronavirus.

The Opposition also called for a “global body with regulatory powers to guarantee standards of safety in vaccine production” to be established around the world.

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Coronavirus cases around the world (Image: Express)

The last point in their plan is a “binding, enforceable investment and trade agreement among all participating countries”.

While outlining their plan, the Opposition party admitted their plan will “require extensive long-term funding”.

But claimed the costs of funding their plan “must be placed against the far more substantial losses that the global economy will suffer” as long as the pandemic continues.

The letter was signed by Ms Thornberry on behalf of Lisa Nandy, Jonathan Ashworth, Ed Miliband, Preet Kaur Gill and Gareth Thomas.

Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Lisa Nandy signed the letter as well (Image: Getty)

While appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Ms Thornberry urged Labour’s calls for the UK to take an “international leadership role” when it comes to vaccinations.

She said: “I am here today to talk about Covid and how we make sure that we are ultimately safe.

“Which is not just that we vaccinate ourselves and that we have a proper plan within the UK but we also need to take an international leadership role when it comes to the rest of the world.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Image: Getty)

“That is the only way we can make ourselves safe.

“The Labour Party are giving this plan, we have written it and as I say it has got ten points in it, we are giving it to the Government.

“We are saying that if you don’t know what to do, here genuinely is a plan.

“Here is a blueprint and things that we think you should do.”