It's an AZ-EU matter, not the UK govt, but doesn't the AZ contract say (5.1) it'll use reasonable best efforts to manufacture the vaccine within the EU & distribute it once produced within the EU? Only 5.4 applies to the UK & only in the context of where manufacture is permitted.

Section 5.1 manifestly gives no claim whatever upon the UK stock. The most it does is give a claim upon EU-manufactured stock. Section 5.4 just says AZ is permitted to manufacture in the UK without special extra permission.

Reading that contract, it's hard to understand how the EU cld even have misunderstood it to mean any kind of claim upon UK-manufactured stock.

Section 5.4 is more like industrial policy. It's saying AZ isn't permitted to meet its orders to the EU via any non-EU manufacture other than from the UK, without special authorisation. It doesn't say anything at all about the EU having a claim on UK manufactured stock.

Another way to think about this is: the contract (as I read it) says pretty clearly that AZ is *permitted* to use the UK sites for manufacture (5.4) as part of its Best Reasonable Effort (5.1) to meet EU demand, but not *obliged* to do so.

Final point for now: Section 5.4 (the one that includes the UK) is about manufacturing sites. ie the Best Reasonable Effort there relates to *where* one tries to carry out one's production (ie industrial policy). It's not an obligation to produce or deliver any amount of anything