Boris Johnson is facing enormous pressure after it was claimed he said he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands” than order a third lockdown. 

The incendiary remark is said to have come after he reluctantly imposed the second lockdown, sources told the Daily Mail, amid warnings the country would face a “catastrophe” if he did not act.  

SNP MP Ian Blackford MP has branded the remark “utterly abhorrent” and said the Prime Minister has a “duty to resign” if it is revealed to be to be true. 

Mr Blackford also called on Mr Johnson to make a statement to Parliament, and for an investigation into the growing row over the handling of contracts for vital equipment during the pandemic.   

Downing Street last night strongly denied the Prime Minister made the comment, insisting it was ‘just another lie’. But those who say they heard it stand by their claim. 

The Herald:

The claim comes amid spectauclar fallout between the PM and his former aide Dominic Cummings

It allegedly came after Michael Gove warned Mr Johnson that soldiers would be needed to guard hospitals overrun with Covid victims. 

Mr Johnson agreed to fresh restrictions but his frustration is said to have boiled over after the crucial meeting at No 10 in October. ‘No more ****ing lockdowns – let the bodies pile high in their thousands!’ he is alleged to have said. 

The Prime Minister is also reported to have made similarly blunt observations during the crisis. 

The disclosure comes amid a spectacular public war of words between him and his former chief of staff Dominic Cummings. 

Mr Cummings is expected to use his appearance before a Commons committee next month to challenge the Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic. 

He tweeted over the weekend that the failure to introduce travel bans more quickly was “a very important issue re: learning from the disaster”. 

The Prime Minister’s critics say the lockdown introduced in January could have been avoided had he yielded to pressure from Cabinet Office minister Mr Gove and Health Secretary Matt Hancock to make the second lockdown more stringent.  

But Mr Johnson has still warned some restrictions may have to remain – or be reimposed – to safeguard against the risk of another Covid wave. 

The Herald:

The country went into lockdown in October

Mr Johnson’s comments about lockdowns were said to have been made at the end of October when Britain was hit by a second wave of coronavirus. 

The Prime Minister found himself outgunned when Mr Gove and Health Secretary Matt Hancock led the demand for a new clampdown on the disease. 

Earlier in the pandemic, he had been supported by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who warned of the dire economic consequences of national lockdowns. 

By October, Mr Sunak had moved closer to the stance of Mr Gove and Mr Hancock. Chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance strongly backed the position of Mr Gove and Mr Hancock. 

READ MORE: How much trouble is PM in over sleaze claims?

A well-placed source told the Daily Mail: “The PM hates the idea of lockdowns. He kept saying ‘there’s no evidence they even work’ and that ‘it goes against everything I’ve stood for’. But he was outnumbered – and ended up sitting in sullen silence as the others told him he had no choice.” 

The tipping point reportedly came after a passionate speech by Mr Gove at a meeting with Mr Johnson and senior ministers. 

“Michael said that if he didn’t impose a second lockdown there would be a catastrophe,” a source close to Mr Gove said. 

“Hospitals would be over-run, people would be turned away from A&E and people would be dying in hospital corridors and hospital car parks. 

“He told the PM he would have to send soldiers into hospitals to keep people out. 

“TV film of that would be beamed around the globe. Was that the image of his post-Brexit Britain he wanted the world to see? It was devastating. The PM had no answer.” 

The Herald:

Ian Blackford MP

Insiders say that from that point Mr Johnson “gave in to the inevitable” – and agreed to a second lockdown. But he also made it clear that it was to be the last, and under no circumstances world he agree to a third lockdown. 

One said: “You have understand how difficult this has been for the PM. The free spirit libertarian and journalist mischief maker in him wanted to join the lockdown sceptics revolt. But faced with being told by his Cabinet and experts that he would be held responsible for tens of thousands of deaths he knew he had no choice.” 

Mr Cummings is expected to accuse the Prime Minister of putting lives at risk by blocking Priti Patel’s plan to close the borders at the start of the Covid crisis. 

He is expected to tell MPs he backed the Home Secretary’s move to ban flights from coronavirus hotspots. 

READ MORE: Dominic Cummings hits back after Downing Street blames ex-aide for Dyson leak

A No 10 spokesman last night insisted the PM would not be distracted by the row, adding: “The Government is totally focused on delivering the people’s priorities as we continue our vaccination programme and recover from coronavirus, creating new jobs and building back better.” 

Ian Blackford MP said: "These comments are utterly abhorrent. If they are true, Boris Johnson has a duty to resign. The Prime Minister must now come to Parliament to give a statement, and face questioning, on these shocking claims and the growing Tory sleaze scandal engulfing Westminster.  

"The public have a right to know what is going on, and why the Tory government has been handing out multi-million pound contracts, special access, tax breaks and peerages to Tory donors and friends.  

"The difficulty for Boris Johnson is he has lied so many times it's impossible for anyone to trust a word he says.  

“A full independent public inquiry is the only way to provide transparency and accountability. Those responsible must be held to account."