Boris Johnson Holds Call With EU’s Von Der Leyen as Vaccine Tensions Grow
Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, in December.
Photographer: Aaron Chown/PA Media/Bloomberg
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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen had a phone call on Wednesday evening after European Union efforts to secure vaccine supplies ramped up tensions between the two sides, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The call was held at around 7 p.m., one of the people said. It took place just hours after von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, had floated plans to restrict vaccine exports from the EU to Britain. Spokesmen for both the commission and the U.K. government declined to comment.