A French vaccine financed by Britain is at the centre of a row over the Macron government’s failure to ensure supplies for its people.
The French government refused to fully fund research by Valneva, a Franco-Austrian startup that has developed its vaccine at its headquarters near Nantes in the Loire region.
Instead, the British backed the development, securing an agreement to supply 60 million doses from a plant in Livingston, West Lothian, starting in October. France won’t get the vaccine until next year.
Franck Grimaud, the company’s chief executive, said that several governments had been contacted at the launch of the project. “The UK responded the fastest,” he said.
“In large part no doubt because we already had a base there and also
