WOKINGHAM MP John Redwood has hit out at the EU after it threatened to impose restrictions that could impact the UK’s supply of Covid-19 vaccinations.

On Twitter, the avid Brexiteer claimed the trading bloc “only believe in international law and rules when it suits them”.

European leaders say they may impose strict export controls on Covid-19 vaccines produced inside the EU, and this could affect the UK’s supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, which is made in Belgium.

READ MORE: John Lewis to slash up to 1,500 head office jobs

It comes after AstraZeneca was accused of failing to deliver the number of promised doses of its vaccine – that is mainly produced in the UK – to EU member states.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to approve that vaccine for use in EU countries by the end of the month, so the roll out can begin in February.

In a statement on his website, Mr Redwood wrote: “The EU has failed to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine and have said they need to take more time to check it out.

“Now they are also saying that they want more of it delivered than the company can currently produce. That is a matter to be sorted out between the EU and the company.

“Some in the EU then threaten to interrupt exports contracted by customers outside the EU as punishment for difficulties in supplying sufficient vaccine under another contract.

“Supporters of the EU are always telling us they uphold the legal and international order. This looks like the opposite.”

The Tory MP has also said the UK needs to reduce its reliance on EU imports and “increase our own ability to make and grow things at home”.

READ MORE: Wokingham Covid-19 testing centre opens

Last year, the EU signed a €750 million deal for 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with an option for an additional 100 million.

But Stella Kyriakides, EU commissioner for health, said the firm “intends to provide considerably fewer doses than agreed” even though the EU helped fund production of the jab.

AstraZeneca’s chief executive Pascal Soriot admitted there have been problems with “scaling up” production and the company is “two months behind where we wanted to be”, when he spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

He also said the UK signed a contract for the vaccine three months earlier than the EU, so there was time “to fix all the UK glitches we experienced”.

Britain secured 100 million doses in May 2020 for £84 million.