https://www.ft.com/content/a265fac3-b659-4fbc-b07d-769d281fa42f
Simon McDonald, the top civil servant at the Foreign Office, caused alarm in Number 10 when he told MPs that ministers took a “political decision” not to join an EU drive to procure ventilators and protective equipment.
“The UK mission briefed ministers about what was available, what was on offer, and the decision is known,” he told the Commons foreign affairs committee.
That flatly contradicted the claim by Downing Street in March that an “initial communications problem” — a missing email — was to blame for Britain’s original failure to join the initiative, rather than Brexit ideology.
Later on Tuesday evening Sir Simon wrote to the committee to “clarify” and retract his original claim, saying he had “inadvertently and wrongly” told MPs it had been a political decision.
Matt Hancock, health secretary, told a Downing Street press conference that Britain had now signed up for future schemes. The next one is expected to cover therapeutics.
Simon McDonald, the top civil servant at the Foreign Office, caused alarm in Number 10 when he told MPs that ministers took a “political decision” not to join an EU drive to procure ventilators and protective equipment.
“The UK mission briefed ministers about what was available, what was on offer, and the decision is known,” he told the Commons foreign affairs committee.
That flatly contradicted the claim by Downing Street in March that an “initial communications problem” — a missing email — was to blame for Britain’s original failure to join the initiative, rather than Brexit ideology.
Later on Tuesday evening Sir Simon wrote to the committee to “clarify” and retract his original claim, saying he had “inadvertently and wrongly” told MPs it had been a political decision.
Matt Hancock, health secretary, told a Downing Street press conference that Britain had now signed up for future schemes. The next one is expected to cover therapeutics.
