During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, Boris Johnson, the then-Prime Minister, considered a drastic and unconventional plan to secure COVID-19 vaccines. As detailed in his upcoming memoir, Johnson revealed that he had discussions with high-ranking military officials about the feasibility of launching a raid on a warehouse in Leiden, Netherlands, to retrieve AstraZeneca vaccines that were supposedly destined for the UK but were being withheld.
Johnson admitted to having commissioned an investigation into whether such an operation could be technically feasible. The plan involved using rigid inflatable boats to navigate Dutch canals and potentially employing a truck with a trailer to transport the vaccines. Lieutenant General Doug Chalmers, the deputy chief of defence staff, informed Johnson that the plan was “certainly feasible” from a logistical standpoint.
However, Chalmers also cautioned that it would be challenging to justify such an action, as it would essentially amount to an invasion of a long-standing NATO ally. Johnson acknowledged the absurdity of the plan, describing it as “nuts” and secretly agreeing with the widespread sentiment that it was insane, though he did not voice this opinion openly at the time.
The context behind this consideration was a cross-Channel dispute over vaccine exports, with the EU facing criticism for its slower rollout compared to the UK. Johnson felt that the EU was treating the UK “with malice and with spite” by not allowing the export of the AstraZeneca vaccines, which the UK desperately needed.
