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Chancellor: PPE from Turkey is stranded due to ‘unexpected delays’

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Image shows a Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force) Airbus A400M flown by the 221st Squadron "Breeze", as part of the 12th Air Transportation Main Base Command, after lifting out of Ankara’s Etimesgut Air Base under the call-sign OAN2901, after landing at RAF Brize Norton. Crucial supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff have been delivered into a Royal Air Force base for distribution around the country. Following an agreement between the UK and Turkey, 250,000 items of PPE equipment to the UK, including 50,000 N-95 face masks; 100,000 surgical masks; and 100,000 protective suits, arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday. The supplies will be taken to a regional NHS distribution hub to be delivered to medical centres across the country. RAF bases have been a vital resource during the coronavirus pandemic, with military and chartered civilian flights utilising them to deliver resources and repatriate Britons stranded across the globe.

PPE from Turkey stranded due to ‘unexpected delays’

Sunak opens the briefing by getting straight to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) issue – he says the government has been “working hard” to make sure there is enough for NHS workers.

He says the government is “working to resolve” the issue of a batch stuck in Turkey due to “unexpected delays”.

The gowns, to protect those treating coronavirus patients, had been expected to arrive from Turkey on Sunday.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, the 400,000 gowns from Turkey would be welcome, NHS staff were getting through approximately 150,000 gowns a day.

on Sunday Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he was “hopeful” the Turkish flight would leave on Monday.

He said the government was “working very hard” to resolve the issue but added there had been “challenges at the Turkish end”.

Another 25 million gowns from China had also been procured and the UK would be “getting those shortly as well”, he added.

The first flight has now taken off with the last hour from the UK to travel to Turkey to pick up the PPE shipment.

However a scheduled time of return with the PPE has not been given.

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