Facts

In an address to the nation on December 12th 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that “everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year."

But the NHS used less optimistic language in their guidance, saying every eligible adult will be offered "the chance to book a COVID-19 booster vaccine by the end of the year", suggesting that many of the actual vaccinations won't be administered until 2022.

Verdict 

Boris Johnson’s statement, made during the course of a dramatic televised announcement to the nation, was gravely misleading. It was not true that “everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year." NHS guidance stated that eligible adults would be offered "the chance to book a COVID-19 booster vaccine by the end of the year" - a very different thing.

This forms part of a familiar pattern where Johnson makes statements which are contradicted by official guidance or statements from his own government.