Boris Johnson praises Covid jab effort for ‘incomparably better’ NYE

The Prime Minister has praised the UK’s Covid-19 vaccination effort for putting the UK in an “incomparably better” position than this time last year.

Boris Johnson used his New Year’s message to announce that the country had met its ambitious target of offering all adults the chance to get a booster jab by 31 December.

In a message posted on social media, The PM confirmed that seven in 10 eligible adults in England have now received their booster dose, with an extra eight million vaccines delivered since the target was brought forward on 12 December.

He also reflects on the achievements of the UK over the past year, saying the country has had the fastest economic growth in the G7, record employment levels and massive global investments in the British tech sector this year.

Mr Johnson said: “Whatever the challenges that fate continues to throw in our way and whatever the anxieties we may have about the weeks and months ahead, particularly about Omicron and the growing numbers in hospitals, we can say one thing with certainty, our position this December 31 is incomparably better than last year.

“This country has the fastest economic growth in the G7. We have more people in work now than there were before the pandemic began. And if you want a sign of future growth – look at the massive global investment in British high tech. Almost £30 billion into the UK tech sector this year - twice as much tech investment as Germany, three times as much as France.