London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Covid: Boris Johnson's 'bodies pile high' comments prompt criticism

Covid: Boris Johnson's 'bodies pile high' comments prompt criticism

Boris Johnson said he would rather see "bodies pile high" than take the country into a third lockdown, sources familiar with the conversations have told the BBC.

The remarks were said to have been made last autumn, just as England went into a second lockdown.

The PM has strongly denied saying the phrase, describing the reports as "total rubbish".

Labour's Rachel Reeves urged Mr Johnson to apologise.

She called the comments "stomach-churning".

The government is also facing questions over possible donations made to re-decorate the prime minister's flat, and an investigation into leaked information about England's second lockdown.

Mr Johnson's comments - first reported in the Daily Mail - came at the end of October when the government announced there would be a second lockdown in England following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says, at the time, the prime minister was reported to have had big concerns about the implications of another lockdown on the economy and non-Covid related health issues.

"This does take us back to that moment and back to the very serious claims made by some people who were involved in the decision making - including some ministers - that the hesitancy around the second lockdown did cost lives," she said.

Asked about the comments earlier on Monday, Mr Johnson denied having made them adding that the public wanted the government "to make sure that the lockdowns work, and they have".

The PM's spokesman said the reported comments were false adding: "This is untrue and the PM has denied it… I'm not aware of anyone else making that statement."

Mr Johnson was also defended by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove who told MPs he was in the room during conversations about the lockdown but "never heard language of that kind".

'Callous'


Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was "astonished" by the reports adding: "Everybody would be deeply concerned, not least all those families who have lost someone in the pandemic."

The prime minister was also strongly criticised by other opposition MPs in the House of Commons.

Ms Reeves - Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister - said the prime minister was a man who "would rather the bodies pile high than act on scientific advice - but they are not bodies; they are people, they are loved ones and they are deeply missed."

She called for an urgent public inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic adding: "This is all about conduct, character and decency - frankly, our country deserves an awful lot better than this."

The SNP's Alison Thewliss said the comments were "not befitting the office of prime minister" describing his words as "despicable, cruel and callous".

Matt Fowler, co-founder of the group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, which is calling an inquiry into the pandemic, said the comments had caused outrage among members.

He said: "These callous comments will have caused untold hurt to hundreds of thousands of us across the whole of the country.

"This demonstrates exactly why an urgent inquiry is so vital, to understand the decisions, rationale and consideration in protecting our loved ones that the government chose."

Lockdown leak


This comes amid a bitter row between Downing Street and the prime minister's former senior adviser Dominic Cummings.

Last week, Mr Cummings published a blog in which he:

*  denied leaking text messages sent between Mr Johnson and businessman Sir James Dyson

*  accused the PM of planning to have donors "secretly pay" for the refurbishment of his flat

*  denied leaking details of November's second coronavirus lockdown in England

*  claimed Cabinet Secretary Simon Case had cleared Mr Cummings of being the source of the leak

*  alleged Mr Johnson had considered trying to block an inquiry into the leak in case it involved a friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds.

Earlier, Mr Case gave evidence at an MPs' committee and said the inquiry into the second lockdown leak is ongoing; however, he added that "given the time that has now passed, I think it's probable the team will not successfully identify the source or sources".

A Cabinet Office source told the BBC that no-one had yet been exonerated in the investigation.

Asked if he would launch an inquiry into the leak of the prime minister's lockdown comments, Mr Case said he would have to discuss that with Mr Johnson.

Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds moved into No 11 Downing Street in July 2019

The prime minister is also facing questions about the funding of his Downing Street flat refurbishment.

Over the weekend, ministers had said the prime minister "personally paid the bill" for the flat but did not answer questions on whether a Tory party donor initially provided the money to him.

Mr Johnson has said he would make any necessary declarations about donations "in due course" and Mr Case - who is the UK's top civil servant - said he would review how the refurbishment was paid for.

Speaking in Wrexham, Mr Johnson said the public were more interested in what the government was doing to move the country "cautiously but irreversibly through the steps of the road map to unlock and to get our country going".

He said the disease was "under control" and that deaths and hospitalisations were low but added "that doesn't mean that we've got it totally licked".

"We've got to be realistic about that; unfortunately, there probably will be another wave of the disease."


Boris Johnson denies making 'bodies pile up' claim during third lockdown conversation


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
×