UK lawmakers call for PM Johnson to publish big pharma lobbying messages

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives media interviews as he visits Hartlepool United Football Club ahead of the May 6 by-election, Hartlepool, Britain, April 23, 2021. Ian Forsyth/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - British lawmakers on Monday called on the government to publish all communications with pharmaceutical companies to understand if private lobbying influenced its opposition to a waiver of intellectual property rules for COVID-19 vaccines.

The United States and a handful of other big countries, including the United Kingdom, have blocked negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) involving a proposal spearheaded by India and South Africa that now has the support of 100 WTO members.