Britain has ended a contract with French company Valneva for the supply of 100mln doses of its Covid-19 vaccine.
In February, the UK government upped its original order for 60mln doses by 40mln, but said today that it was serving notice due to a breach of the agreement.
Valneva which, although French, is manufacturing its vaccine in Livingston, Scotland denied this.
"The contract provides HMG with the right to terminate. HMG has alleged that the company is in breach of its obligations under the supply agreement, but the company strenuously denies this."
The decision comes a day ahead of an address by Boris Johnson on how Britain will cope with the coronavirus epidemic over the coming winter.
Hopes that the country could avoid a lockdown were boosted on Sunday when Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC that it was unlikely a new lockdown would be introduced, though it was a possibility if hospitalisations surged higher.
Tomorrow, Boris Johnson is expected to confirm that plans for vaccine passports for nightclubs and other large events have been shelved.
Britain’s travel traffic light system is also set to be scrapped with fully vaccinated travellers no longer be required to take expensive PCR tests, while several countries will be removed from the red list.
When asked today whether vaccinations for 12-15 years olds would be introduced, Johnson said that it was up to the ‘chief medical officers’.