LONDON- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson might be persuaded to take a COVID-19 jab on television to show it is safe but he would not have one before those in greater need, his press secretary said on Wednesday.

Asked if the prime minister would take a jab live on television, Allegra Stratton said she had not asked him directly but that: "I don't think it would be something he would rule out."

"But I think we also know that he wouldn't want to take a jab that should be for someone who is extremely vulnerable, clinically vulnerable and who should be getting it before him," she added.

Johnson's spokesman also said it was a matter for Buckingham Palace whether 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth received a vaccination. A Palace spokesman declined to comment on whether the queen would get a jab, saying the medical matters of the royals were traditionally kept private.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Michael Holden) ((michael.holden@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 3213; Reuters Messaging: michael.holden.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))