ET World Leaders Forum 2026: Boris Johnson thanks India for Covid vaccine, credits Brexit for UK rollout

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has credited India for playing a key role in Britain's Covid-19 vaccination drive, saying he personally received the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine during the pandemic.

Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Johnson said the AstraZeneca vaccine used by Britain was “very largely made in India” and thanked the country for its contribution to the UK's vaccination programme.

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“I had it myself. I had the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, so thank you very much. It seemed to work,” Johnson said.

Johnson said Britain's ability to roll out Covid-19 vaccines faster than European Union countries was also an example of the benefits he believed the UK gained from Brexit.

He said Britain was able to deploy vaccines “literally months faster” than other European Union countries because it was no longer bound by the bloc's regulatory approval process.

According to Johnson, by the middle of 2021, when he was prime minister, Britain had vaccinated around 45% of its entire population and nearly 100% of people over the age of 80. He contrasted this with what he described as a vaccination rate of around 10% in the European Union at the time.

Johnson said the European Medicines Agency had taken longer to approve vaccines including those developed by AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer.

“That means we had a Brexit freedom, right?” Johnson said.

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His remarks put India's contribution to Britain's pandemic response alongside his broader argument that Brexit gave the UK greater freedom to make decisions on vaccine procurement and rollout.

Johnson also rejected the prospect of Britain rejoining the European Union, saying the British public would not vote to return to the bloc.