Anti-independence No 10 unit ‘demanded UK flag be printed on Covid vaccine doses’

A No 10 unit formed to fight calls for Welsh and Scottish independence demanded the Union flag be printed on Covid-19 vaccine doses.

The newly-formed “Union unit” wanted injection kits to bear the flag, according to HuffPost UK.

It asked the government’s vaccine task force to insist manufacturers of the Oxford vaccine – developed alongside pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca – use the UK flag.

No.10 said there were no current plans for the Union Jack to be on doses, but did not deny that the request – said by insiders to have strong backing from health secretary Matt Hancock and business secretary Alok Sharma – had been made.

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.

“It is something we have to constantly be mindful of. They are trying hard to keep the union intact.”

A government spokesperson said: “Manufacturing for some of the leading potential vaccines is already underway so they can be rolled out quickly if approved.

“Manufacturers are well-versed in the best way to package products like this.”

‘Lot of work’

The government has reserved 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine.

In addition, it has secured around 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine – enough for 20 million people or about a third of the UK population.