Exclusive: No.10 'Demanded UK Flag Be Printed On Oxford Vaccine'
Unit formed to fight Scottish independence is said to have asked vaccine taskforce about branding Oxford injection kits.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
Downing Street has attempted to get doses of the Oxford University coronavirus vaccine labelled with Union Jacks.
HuffPost UK understands No.10′s newly-formed "Union unit", tasked with fighting calls for Scottish independence and other campaigns to break up the UK, wanted injection kits to bear the flag.
It asked the government's vaccine task force to insist manufacturers of the vaccine – developed by Britain's top university alongside pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca – use the UK flag.
It is thought Boris Johnson's aides hoped underlining the British success of the Oxford vaccine would boost affection for the Union and, abroad, "Global Britain" as the UK prepares to break from the EU to trade around the world.
One Whitehall official told HuffPost UK there had been an intensification in recent months on shoring up support for the Union.
"There has been a renewed interest on the impact of policy decisions on the union, and ensuring it is in no way detrimental to the devolved nations," she said.
The makers of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have said they plan to conduct an additional global trial to assess the drug after questions were raised over some of its original results.
Scientists had expressed doubts about the robustness of results showing the shot was 90% effective in a sub-group of trial participants who were accidentally given a half dose followed by a full dose, instead of two full doses. The difference was caused by a manufacturing error.