Boris Johnson addresses claim he said Covid patients were going to ‘die anyway soon’

Boris Johnson did not deny questioning why his government was “destroying everything for people who will die anyway soon” during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Giving evidence to the Covid inquiry on Wednesday, 6 December, the former prime minister suggested the comment was not “designed to be publicly broadcast”.

A note from Mr Johnson’s private secretary recorded the former Tory leader's comments on 19 March 2020, claiming he said: "Why are we destroying everything for people who will die anyway soon? Bed blockers."