AstraZeneca stated that the company is still engaged in constructive discussions with the United Kingdom government regarding the establishment of vaccine facilities in Speke, Liverpool.
According to reports citing insider sources, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves is seeking to reduce the UK government's aid commitment to the Speke, Liverpool vaccine facility from around 90 million British pounds to 40 million British pounds. This 90 million British pounds includes 70 million British pounds for the construction of vaccine production facilities and 20 million British pounds for research and development support. The report also suggests that AstraZeneca is now considering vaccine production in India or the United States.
An AstraZeneca spokesperson refuted the claims, stating, "We are committed to seeking opportunities to establish vaccine facilities in Speke and are engaged in constructive discussions with the United Kingdom government." "We do not know where some of the media comments are coming from. These comments seem to be inconsistent with the facts."
