Johnson defiant in face of new wave of criticism

Claims damage PM's standing as major poll reveals British people's lack of trust

Prime Minister Boris Johnson circled the wagons in London on Tuesday at a meeting of his Cabinet, where he and his ministers reportedly discussed the best ways to deal with damaging accusations against him.

The BBC said the credibility of the United Kingdom's leader had been damaged by a series of attacks that included a claim he had once said he would rather see "bodies pile high "than order another national novel coronavirus lockdown.

The Daily Mail first reported Johnson had made the remark and the BBC and ITV News subsequently said they had found sources who confirmed it.

But Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove strenuously denied the accusation in the House of Commons, saying: "I was in that room; I never heard language of that kind."

Johnson has also vigorously denied ever having said such a thing.

He has also defended himself against other attacks, including one from his former chief advisor that he considered getting donors to his Conservative Party to pay for the refurbishment of his Downing Street official residence.

Another claim alleges he discussed taxation issues directly, via text messages, with the billionaire businessman James Dyson. Johnson has also recently been accused of considering blocking an inquiry into a leak of information, over fears it may have involved his partner, Carrie Symonds.

The BBC said Johnson has called the claims "total rubbish" but the opposition Labour Party has demanded a full inquiry.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's health spokesperson, said on Radio 4's Today program: "If he wanted to prove to the country that he has acted entirely above reproach, he should give us that full and frank explanation. So far, he's refused to do it."

Labour has said it is particularly interested in whether a party donor loaned Johnson money to pay for the work.

Work and Pensions Minister Therese Coffey said on the BBC's Breakfast program on Tuesday: "The only thing I do know is the prime minister has said that he paid for the expenses of redecoration."

Coffey went on to tell Sky News that the British public is not "interested in wallpaper or sofas".

"I genuinely believe people are just more interested in getting on with their daily lives, and the actions we're taking to help them get back to a 'new normal', as it were, post-COVID," she said.

But William Hague, a former leader of the Conservative Party, wrote in a column in The Times that it would be a mistake for the party to "dismiss the latest allegations of sleaze as a fleeting problem".

He said the fact that there could be "a trail of digital evidence" is one of several reasons why "the government should worry".

The Evening Standard newspaper said the allegations appear to be alarming voters, with an Ipsos MORI poll showing six in 10 Britons now consider Johnson to be "untrustworthy".