The UK is fighting a fifth wave of Covid as infections soar and large summer events could see cases rise even higher.
Covid cases have increased sharply in recent weeks, with the latest figures showing 1.7 million people testing positive across the UK, a 23 per cent increase on the week before.
The PM constantly claims that the UK had to first vaccine roll-out because we left the EMA.
In December 2020 Matt Hancock said: “Because of Brexit we’ve been able to make a decision [to approve the Pfizer vaccine] based on the UK regulator, a world class regulator, and not go at the pace of the Europeans who are moving a little bit more slowly.
“We do all the same safety checks and the same processes, but we’ve been able to speed up how they’re done because of Brexit.”
Full Fact concluded that: “This is not correct. Under European law, the UK was permitted to act independently to approve the vaccine in an emergency.”
There is also this.
Oh and this…
Fonz
However, the PM is still rolling out this claim.
On CNN Jake Tapper asked him: “Is the UK better off after leaving the EU?”
Boris Johnson replied: “It is, we had the fastest vaccine roll out because we were outside the European medicine agency.”
Jake Tapper then asked: “So you couldn’t have done that otherwise?”
Boris Johnson replied bizarrely: “Correctamundo.”
Tapper shot back: “You’re quoting the Fonz?”