Collaboration needed in fight against COVID-19, UK and French leaders agree

LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed in a call on Friday that a successful global vaccination programme required a collaborative effort between governments, a spokeswoman for the British leader said.

The call between Johnson and Macron follows criticism by French officials over Britain's vaccination programme and comes just a week after the European Union threatened to impose a hard border on the island of Ireland to protect its vaccine supply. Brussels swiftly withdrew that threat.

"The leaders discussed the fight against coronavirus," the spokeswoman said in a statement. "The leaders agreed that a successful global vaccination programme will require a collaborative effort between governments."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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