London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Boris Johnson's latest gaffe could threaten Britain's vaccine rollout

Boris Johnson's latest gaffe could threaten Britain's vaccine rollout

Boris Johnson, the UK's gaffe-prone Prime Minister, is making frantic attempts to row back on comments made in a private meeting with lawmakers from his own Conservative party on Tuesday night.

During the weekly "1922 Committee" meeting of Conservative backbenchers, Johnson made an unguarded comment in which he claimed that the UK's successful vaccine rollout was "because of capitalism, because of greed, my friends," multiple sources who were on the call have confirmed to CNN.

Realizing how controversial his comments could be if made public, Johnson then retracted them almost immediately, according to the sources, saying "actually I regret saying it ... forget I said that."

Johnson's spokespeople have declined to provide CNN with a comment on the matter.

A spokesperson for the opposition Labour party told CNN: "The idea that acts of selfishness ... have got us through this crisis seems very odd: It's hard to work out where the Prime Minister is coming from there."

Boris Johnson holds a vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as he visits a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Batley, northern England on February 1, 2021.


The timing of these comments could be troubling for the Prime Minister, as the European Commission prepares to lay out its plans for tougher export controls on Covid-19 vaccines produced within the bloc.

Brussels' vaccine plan has been hindered by supply and distribution problems.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to target companies within the EU that the Commission believes are not honoring the contracts signed with Brussels when it negotiated deals for vaccines on behalf of the 27 member states.

The plans are also expected to include new powers allowing the EU to withhold deliveries to countries that do not reciprocally export vaccines back to the EU.

Leaders from the EU's 27 member states will meet virtually on Thursday to discuss the Commission's recommendations.

Leaders from Germany and Ireland have already urged caution over export measures that would target countries.

The UK, which opted not to take part in the EU's vaccine strategy, has been rolling out its program to immunize citizens notably faster than the rest of the continent. Domestically, this has been framed by many as an upshot of Brexit and an example of what can be done now the country is free of the EU's bureaucratic yoke.

The European Medicines Agency has been criticized for being slow to approve vaccines, so other EU nations have turned to Russia and China to plug the gaps in vaccine supply through unilateral procurement deals.

The UK's relative success has been embarrassing for the EU. Any complaints that the UK is not playing fairly or suggestions of retroactive measures are easy to frame as petulance from Brussels, an attempt to blame others for its own failures.

However, Johnson's greed comments could prove useful for a Commission trying to unite member states and paint the UK as the bad guy.

Which raises the key question: Why did Johnson say this?

Those present at the meeting have offered up theories that the Prime Minister was "clearly joking" to a room of friends, as he'd spent the whole meeting "praising AstraZeneca for not seeking profit," to suggestions he was "speaking in a typical Boris rambly way" and stumbled into discussing how the left-wing opposition Labour party opposes any private investment in the National Health Service.

"He was talking off the cuff, I think, then suddenly remembered he was Prime Minister," one lawmaker present at the meeting told CNN.

There is no denying, though, that the timing of his remarks is poor.

The vaccine rollout has been a rare success in Johnson's response to the pandemic.

The UK still has the highest death toll from coronavirus in Europe.

Anything that dents the vaccination program and delays his plans to take Britons out of lockdown could severely damage the Prime Minister and his government at a time they can ill afford a serious knock -- least of all one delivered by the European Union.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×