Those who complain tat the EU has the power to ban exports of vaccine and how "undemocratic" such a law is should be aware that similar laws could be enacted under UK law.
Most governments have similar regulations built in.
"The export intervention, if deemed necessary, would follow a similar legal logic: it would be limited to there being a domestic shortage of supply and only cover doses intended for the U.K. market. That would include the 100 million doses according to the timeline agreed by the British government and AstraZeneca and similar provisions with other vaccine makers.
Such a step also wouldn’t be against either domestic law or international trade rules, and could be exercised by emergency powers to requisition goods under the Civil Contingencies Act. In practice, the enforcement of a temporary requisition order would likely fall to multiple departments, including the Cabinet Office, DHSC, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
This step would also be sanctioned by health care provisions in international trade law. Restricting exports would be allowed under public health and national security exemptions detailed in Article 20 and 21 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, a foundation of international trade law that the EU and U.K. are party to.
Asked if ministers had sought legal advice on export restrictions, a British government spokesperson declined to comment. In a statement, they said that the vaccine rollout was on target. “We are in constant contact with the vaccine manufacturers and remain confident that the supply of vaccine to the U.K. will not be disrupted,” the spokesperson said. "
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