BORIS Johnson has shown his true colours after boasting “greed” has been the key factor in the UK’s vaccine success, according to his political opponents.
Medical professionals and vaccine campaigners also rounded on the Prime Minister over his “disgusting” claim.
The Tory leader made the comments at a private meeting of Conservative MPs, but then hastily sought to backtrack as he praised AstraZeneca for supplying the Oxford vaccine at cost.
Following the remarks to the 1922 Committee, the Global Justice Now campaign, which is campaigning for wider international access to jabs, hit out at the Prime Minister.
The organisation's director Nick Dearden said: "The Prime Minister will call this comment a slip of the tongue, but it's an incredibly revealing remark. It shows just how warped his understanding of this crisis is.
"We have a vaccine because of massive public investment and the remarkable work of scientists at publicly-funded universities. We've rolled it out because of our incredible National Health Service.
"Greed, however, drove big pharma to privatise this work and withhold doses from millions worldwide to protect their profits.
"And, if Boris Johnson keeps letting it happen, there'll be more coronavirus mutations that could send us back to square one."
Independent Sage member Dr Gabriel Scally, a public health expert, commented: “Disgusting comment from Boris Johnson tonight.”
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Opposition politicians expressed their outrage on social media.
SNP Holyrood candidate and former Wesmtinster leader Angus Robertson tweeted: “Boris Johnson's been caught out (again) saying what he really thinks. Never forget he believes vaccination success is because of ‘capitalism and greed’ and that ‘devolution has been a disaster’.”
Labour mayor of Greater Manchester and former health secretary Andy Burnham wrote: "Celebrating 'greed' in a pandemic? Same old Tories."
Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts added: "It's in the throwaway comments that the PM reveals himself. Greed will destroy us."
Labour MP Barry Sheerman said the comments were "no surprise" as "everyone who knows our Prime Minister well understands his admiration of selfishness and greed'".
The comments also risk inflaming a row with the European Commission about access to vaccines, with president Ursula von der Leyen threatening a ban on exports of jags to the UK over concerns AstraZeneca has not supplied the doses expected for the bloc.
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Home Secretary Priti Patel defended the role played by pharmaceutical companies.
She told Sky News: "The Prime Minister always acknowledges the strong success we've had in terms of the vaccine, not just the rollout, which is incredible, but also our ability as a country to develop the vaccine, the role that pharmaceutical companies and science and technology has played in that.
"And actually I think that speaks to a great strength we have as a country.
"And linked to that, of course, look at our contributions to Covax, the international scheme, to get the vaccine supplies elsewhere and demonstrate that we are a very, very strong force for good internationally when it comes to vaccines, science and pharmaceutical development."
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