September 28th 2024.
In his newly published memoir, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared a daring plan he once considered amid a heated dispute with Europe over vaccine distribution. He called it an "aquatic raid" on a warehouse in the Netherlands, where the AstraZeneca vaccine was being held.
In March 2021, Boris convened a meeting with top military officials to discuss this idea, which he admitted was "nuts." At the time, tensions were high between the UK and the EU as the UK's vaccine rollout was moving much faster than in Europe. Boris had hoped to use rigid inflatable boats to navigate the Dutch canals and retrieve the much-needed vaccine.
According to the extract from his book, Lieutenant General Doug Chalmers, the deputy chief of the defence staff, believed the plan was "certainly feasible." The proposed tactics involved entering the warehouse, securing the vaccine, and escaping in an articulated lorry to the Channel ports. However, the senior officer warned that the raid would likely be detected due to the ongoing lockdowns, and the UK would have to face the consequences of invading a NATO ally.
Boris acknowledged the absurdity of the situation, saying, "the whole thing was nuts." He had commissioned a study on the feasibility of the plan, but deep down, he knew it was not a viable option. He realized that the EU was purposely hindering the UK's access to the vaccine out of malice, even though they had no intention of using the AstraZeneca doses themselves.
The former PM described the Halix plant in Leiden, where millions of doses of the vaccine were being held, as a crucial target. He believed that the EU was trying to prevent the UK from obtaining these doses, despite their own sluggish rollout. In his book, Boris also mentioned the European Commission's legal actions against AstraZeneca, which he deemed baseless. He credited Kate Bingham, the chairwoman of the UK's vaccine taskforce, for securing a solid contract with AstraZeneca, ensuring the UK's access to the vaccine.
During a press conference in March 2021, Boris addressed the ongoing dispute and emphasized the UK's commitment to working with their European partners. He made it clear that the UK did not believe in vaccine blockades and would never engage in such actions. He also expressed hope that the EU shared the same sentiment.
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