The UK government claims it failed to take part in an EU scheme to secure ventilators to tackle the coronavirus outbreak because it did not see the relevant emails.

Downing Street initially claimed it was not taking part in the scheme because 'we are no longer a member of the EU,' prompting claims on social media that Boris Johnson was putting 'Brexit over breathing.'

But it later backtracked and claimed that it had not taken part because it did not receive emails from the EU, insisting that the decision was not ideologically motivated.

But EU officials said the UK had been invited to take part in the scheme.

Both the Prime Minister and his Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Friday that they had tested positive for the coronavirus.

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The UK government claims that it failed to take part in an EU scheme to source life-saving ventilators to fight the coronavirus pandemic because it did not see the emails inviting it to take part.

Ventilators help patients to breathe and can save the lives of patients suffering from the coronavirus, which attacks the lungs and can cause acute respiratory problems among those who are worst affected by the disease.

Downing Street on Thursday initially claimed that it did not take part in an EU-wide scheme to secure thousands of them, which could significantly reduce the cost of individual machines, because "we are no longer a member of the EU" and because the UK was "making our own efforts in this area."

But it later backtracked after being accused of prioritising politics over the national interest, with the Liberal Democrats suggesting Boris Johnson was putting "Brexit over breathing."

Both the Prime Minister and his Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Friday that they had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The government subsequently claimed that the UK had in fact not taken part in the scheme because it had not received the emails inviting it to take part, and insisted the move was not ideologically motivated.

"Owing to an initial communication problem, the UK did not receive an invitation in time to join in four joint procurements in response to the coronavirus pandemic," a UK government spokesperson said.



"As the Commission has confirmed, we are eligible to participate in joint procurements during the transition period, following our departure from the EU earlier this year."

"As those four initial procurement schemes had already gone out to tender, we were unable to take part in these, but we will consider participating in future procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time."

But Downing Street's position appears to be inconsistent.

According to a Times report, the European Commission made it clear that Britain on March 17 it was free to participate in the scheme, as it remains a de facto member state during the Brexit transition period. The information was given to the UK and the deadline passed two days later on March 19.

An EU official told the Times that Britain could have participated in the scheme while pursuing its own procurement scheme in tandem. "Many member states are doing their own things too," they said.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, also appeared on Question Time on March 17 and confirmed the UK had been invited to take part in the scheme.

"We are invited to be part of that [scheme]," he said. "We engaged with that process today," he added.

The confusion means that the UK will not benefit from the collective buying power of a 28-country bloc, which could have the effect of reducing prices significantly. The EU is aiming to purchase large numbers of ventilators and other protective equipment for medical staff which are being used in the fight against the coronavirus.

Ventilators deliver oxygen to the lungs through a tube and remove carbon dioxide when patients aren't able to breathe by themselves.

The UK is trying to source 30,000 ventilators to treat Covid-18 patients, and has asked multiple British firms to repurpose their factories in order to start making them. The engineering firm Dyson and defence firm Babcock both revealed plans to start making ventilators to specifications provided by the British government, the Guardian reported.