The UK’s successful vaccine rollout was thanks to “greed” and “capitalism”, Boris Johnson has told Conservative MPs during a private call. Downing Street has not denied the account but refused to issue a comment. Opposition MPs condemned the PM’s remarks, pointing out that they came on the anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown. On Tuesday, Johnson suggested he would not engage in a tit-for-tat export ban, with sources saying the priority was still to calm tensions rather than escalate with threats. They also said he laid into the BBC, describing it as “detached from a lot of viewers” and suggesting corporation bosses should “move more in line”.

Source: The Guardian March 23, 2021 22:39 UTC