The UK will not join the EU Covid-19 vaccine scheme, the UK's ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow has said. Sir Tim said if the UK joined the scheme it would have no say on decisions including on price or which manufacturers to negotiate with. The UK would also be unable to "pursue parallel negotiations with potential vaccine suppliers", he said in his letter to the European Commission. The EU scheme aims to secure supplies of potential coronavirus vaccines. The European Commission plans to enter into agreements with individual vaccine producers on behalf of the bloc's member states as part of the multi-million pound programme. In return for the right to buy a specified number of vaccine doses in an agreed timeframe and price, the Commission will finance a part of the vaccine producer's upfront costs. Reacting to earlier reports the UK will opt out of the initiative, the Wellcome Trust said countries "urgently" needed to work together "if we're to stand any chance of delivering global equitable access to a Covid-19 vaccine". In his letter, Sir Tim said the UK would not participate because the "UK would be required to stop its negotiations with manufacturers with which the EU launched negotiations". He said the commission had also confirmed it was "not possible for the UK to have a role in the governance shaping decisions on which manufacturers to negotiate with, or the price, volume and delivery schedule negotiated". Sir Tim added that there could still be collaboration between the UK and the EU on areas such as "sharing of information on promising vaccine candidates" and "vaccine trials" and "manufacturing investments and capacity building".