Downing Street has defended Boris Johnson’s father receiving two coronavirus vaccines – insisting the move was made before a change in policy.
The prime minister’s press secretary Allegra Stratton said: “This is a matter for the prime minister’s father.
“It’s not something I’ve spoken to Stanley Johnson about. By way of explanation in the early days of the vaccination programme it was the case that GPs were doing two jabs, a first one followed a few weeks later by a second one.
“It appears that Stanley Johnson was one of those people who was in that first wave. It’s been true of a number of individuals around the country and Stanley Johnson appears to be one of them.”
Last week Johnson spoke of his second dose during an interview with Good Morning Britain.
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He said: “I had my first jab on December 18 and three weeks on is today and I’m very much looking forward to it. I don’t have to go far.”
Johnson was forced to defend his actions during the pandemic – often undermining his son – by not wearing a mask, insisting he would still go to the pub despite advice against doing so from scientists, and going to Greece to visit his holiday home.
He blamed his “prominent nose” for pictures of him not wearing a mask.
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A letter to all NHS Trusts on December 30 said they should reschedule any second dose appointments due after Monday 4 January to the “last week of the 12-week period”, but the letter also said there could be “clinical discretion applied locally if needed”.
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