Post-Brexit Britain has had a rough start to life after Europe, with British businesses struggling with mountains of bureaucracy, fish rotting away for lack of export markets, and billions of pounds fleeing the City of London’s financial sector. But thanks to the European Union’s ham-fisted handling of vaccine distribution, Brexit Britain, in one way at least, has come off looking like the better-governed outfit.
The EU’s vaccination program has gone off the rails, with a shortage of vaccines standing in stark contrast to Britain’s stockpile and quick rollout. When the EU attempted last week to redress its shortage by attempting to block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine made in Belgium—but ordered and paid for by the British government—even pro-EU Britons were outraged. Brussels then compounded the damage, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen briefly invoking Brexit’s most controversial clause to prevent deliveries from Northern Ireland to mainland Britain, sparking fury among both Irish and British lawmakers.
