‘Let The Bodies Pile High’: All Of The Boris Johnson Leaks You Need To Know About Right Now

If you haven’t been paying attention, here's everything Boris Johnson has been accused of in the last week...

Boris Johnson

by Georgia Aspinall |
Updated on

After the last week of sun and lockdown easing, you wouldn’t be blamed for not paying attention to the latest number 10 scandal engulfing Boris Johnson. But yesterday morning, a government source told The Daily Mail that Boris Johnson said he would rather ‘let the bodies pile high in their thousands’ than order a third lockdown last year – and the UK was stunned into sheer horror.

Downing Street have denied the claim, but it comes after a week of chaos at number 10 following Dominic Cummings' blog post questioning Johnson’s ‘competence and integrity’. With so many different stories coming from the post, and various other government sources leaking new information, it's become the most explosive week in Johnson's term so far - with Tory poll leads slumping too.

But if you're confused about it all - who said what, what's been alleged and what's been denied - we don't blame you. Allow us to break it down.

The Government had been enjoying a relatively drama-free period of approval following the success of the vaccination programme. However, the chaos began last week when Boris Johnson’s private text messages to billionaire Sir James Dyson – in which Johnson told Dyson he would ‘fix’ a tax issue he was having – were leaked to the BBC.

Leaks from the Tory camp have been a major source of tension for awhile. Remember last year when literally every time a lockdown was announced or revised, the press would get ahold of all the information before Johnson even announced it? Yeah, that has been particularly embarrassing for the government .

So, the Tory party has been investigating the leaks, and last week it was alleged that Boris Johnson held a private press conference with several papers accusing his once close ally, Dominic Cummings, of them.

In response, Cummings put out a blog post responding to several newspapers that ran front page stories suggesting he specifically leaked the messages between Johnson and Dyson and was the so-called 'chatty rat' (a tabloid term). The Dyson story first came from BBC political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, who is refusing to name her source (as is typical – and integral – in journalism where sources request anonymity).

In his blog, Cummings stated that ‘the Prime Minister’s new Director of Communications Jack Doyle, at the PM’s request, has made a number of false accusations to the media’ before going on to attempt to clear his name, and in turn detail a series of damning allegations about his time working for Boris Johnson.

So, what did he say, what are other anonymous sources saying and what are the most scandalous allegations to come of the ongoing leaks? Here’s everything, broken down.

Boris Johnson said ‘let the bodies pile high in their thousands’

Starting with the biggest story of the day, government sources have told the Daily Mail that during a meeting in October, Boris Johnson said he would rather let thousands die than order a third lockdown.

In a meeting before the November lockdown, in which Boris agreed reluctantly to impose the stay-at-home order once more, sources say he explosively told staff ‘No more f*cking lockdowns – let the bodies pile high in their thousands!’.

It came after Michael Gove warned him that soldiers would need to be brought in to guard hospitals overrun with Covid victims should no further restrictions be put in place. With over five months to look back at the handling of the pandemic, it’s largely been agreed that England entered a second lockdown too late – with Boris’ reluctance costing lives.

‘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,’ Laura Kuenssberg said in response to the story.

Boris Johnson’s spokesperson has denied the prime minister made the comments stating ‘This is untrue and the PM has denied it… I'm not aware of anyone else making that statement.’ Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has also claimed the story was ‘not true’ however the Daily Mail insists they have multiple sources standing by their claim.

This week, 'Boris Johnson let the bodies pile high in their thousands' and 'Boris Johnson dead bodies' began trending on Google Trends as countless people searched for the story.

Boris Johnson texts: The Prime Minister offered to ‘fix’ a tax issue for Sir James Dyson

The leak that started the chaos, Dyson is said to have text Johnson concerned that the tax status of ‘senior individuals’ at Dyson would change if they came to the UK to make ventilators for the pandemic to which Johnson replied, ‘I will fix it.’

The BBC, who have seen the messages, state the exchange continued as followed

‘Rishi [Sunak] says it is fixed!! We need you here,’ Johnson text Dyson. Dyson then asked for further reassurance on the tax status of the firm and its employees, to which Johnson said, ‘I am First Lord of the Treasury and you can take it that we are backing you to do what you need.’

Just a fortnight later, Sunak told MPs the tax status of people coming into the UK to provide help for the pandemic would not be affected. Those texts were shared by Dyson’s company with officials, but the BBC state it’s unclear whether Johnson flagged his messages as he is required to do so under parliamentary rules.

‘Frankly it stinks that a billionaire businessman can text the prime minister and get an immediate response and, apparently, an immediate change in policy,’ Labour’s shadow business minister Lucy Powell said in response.

Boris Johnson tried to stop an inquiry into one of Carrie Symonds’s friends

One of the revelations coming from Cumming’s blog post was that Johnson put his partners friends above the inquiry into the leaked government information.

‘Last year there was a meeting between the PM, Cabinet Secretary, the Director of Communications and me regarding the leak of the decision for a further lockdown on the Friday evening immediately after the meeting in the Cabinet Room that made the decision (known in the media as ‘the chatty rat story’)’ Cummings wrote. ‘The Cabinet Secretary told the PM that … "all the evidence definitely leads to Henry Newman and others in that office, I’m just trying to get the communications data to prove it”.

‘The PM was very upset about this,’ he continued. ‘He said to me afterwards, “If Newman is confirmed as the leaker then I will have to fire him, and this will cause me very serious problems with Carrie as they’re best friends … [pause] perhaps we could get the Cabinet Secretary to stop the leak inquiry?”. I told him that this was mad and totally unethical… I told him that he could not possibly cancel an inquiry about a leak that affected millions of people, just because it might implicate his girlfriend’s friends.’

No 10 has denied the accusations and say that the PM has never interfered in a government leak inquiry.

Boris Johnson used Tory donors to pay for the renovation on his Downing Street flat

Another allegation from Cummings, the former chief advisor claimed that he refused to talk to Johnson about his flat renovation after finding out that he was using ‘possibly illegal’ means to pay for it. After being accused of leaking information about the renovations, Cummings suggested he couldn’t possibly have done so because of his objection to the plans. This claim is now being investigated by the electoral commission.

‘The PM stopped speaking to me about this matter in 2020 as I told him I thought his plans to have donors secretly pay for the renovation were unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations if conducted in the way he intended,’ Cummings said. ‘I refused to help him organise these payments. My knowledge about them is therefore limited.’

Boris was already entitled £30,000 of taxpayer money to renovate the flat, but reports state he received a donation of £58,000 on top of that. The HMRC is now investigating, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claiming Johnson paid for the renovations himself after MPs pressured the prime minister to clarify how he paid for the makeover.

This story is what's causing 'Boris Johnson net worth' to trend on Google as people question, if he really is spending donor money, why can't he afford to pay for it himself? As Prime Minister, Johnson earns £157,372 a year - a huge pay cut from the £800,000 salary he got was just a backbencher with newspaper columns, speeches, book royalties and TV - with an extra £10,500 from book royalties.

What is Boris Johnson's net worth and how much does he earn?

According to site Celebrity Net Worth, Boris Johnson's net worth should be £2.9million, as of March 2021 but reports state his outgoings pile up. The settlement from his divorce to QC Marina Wheeler is estimated to be around £2million. It's unclear how much money Boris Johnson is paying to support his four children with Marina Wheeler, who are all over 18, although his youngest son with Wheeler, Theodore is believed to be in full-time education. On top of this, Johnson may be paying out for any arrangements he has in place to support the daughter he has with art dealer Helen Macintyre

Will Boris Johnson have to resign?

As a fairly Teflon politician, he's managed to weather storms that would have toppled most of his predecessors, and a lot of Johnson's 'bad behaviour' (infidelity, chaotic personal and professional life, a cavalier relationship with the truth) appear to be priced in. Whether this is a scandal too far, remains to be seen...

Click through for all of the lies Boris Johnson has told as a public figure (that we know of)...

Gallery

All The Lies Boris Johnson Has Told As A Public Figure (That We Know Of)

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When he lied about there being press at a hospital to a man confronting him about ‘destroying the NHS’

Here's a new absolutely brazen lie captured on camera. Boris was confronted by a distraught father whose daughter almost died on an understaffed NHS ward. 'This ward is not safe for children,' Omar Salem told the Prime Minister as he walked past him in the hospital, 'There was one registrar covering the entirety of this ward and the neonatal unit. The NHS has been destroyed, it's been destroyed, it's been destroyed, and now you come here for a press opportunity!''Actually there's no press here,' Boris replied – as he was filmed by the group of press in the hospital. When pressed on whether it was a press opportunity, he said 'as far as I'm aware this is not a [inaudible].''This is a press opportunity. You didn't invite the press here? You didn't ask them to come? You don't have a press handler back here?' the father asked before Boris was ushered away as Omar accused him of living in 'La La Land.'With the Press Association sharing images of the event, and the BBC a video, it's fair to assume the hospital visit did include press. In fact, earlier in the visit Boris appeared to pose for pictures pouring tea with NHS staff.

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When he allegedly lied to the Queen about why he was suspending parliament

Also his go-to line to the public, Boris has stated the proroguing parliament will allow for a new set of legislation when parliament returns on the 14th October. However, given the UK is set to leave the EU on the 31st October, many – his peers included – believe he suspended parliament to prevent scrutiny from MPs about whatever deal – or no deal - he delivers.Given it's ultimately the Queen's decision to suspend parliament – on advice from the PM – Boris has been accused of lying to her about his real motives. In fact, it has even been put to the Supreme Court to decide. Boris, of course, denies lying to her.

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When he made many a false promise as London Mayor

Where to even begin? In his 2008 manifesto, Boris promised manned ticket stations at every train station in London. Subsequently, he instead went for widespread closures that would fund a 24-hour tube. According to MP Wes Streeting, Boris spent £46million of taxpayer money in efforts to build the Garden Bridge that never was, £60m on construction, and £500,000 on running costs of an Emirates Airline – the most expensive cable car ever built – which only has four daily users. He called for a Boris Island Airport that would have cost £100billion even after the Airports Commission rejected the plans. He also 'campaigned against Londoners paying "the highest fares in Europe" and yet oversaw an increase of fares by an average of 4.2 per cent,' Wes tweeted, '[and] pledged not to allow the congestion charge to go above £8... It rose to £11.50 on his watch.'More terrifyingly, he promised to put an end to rough sleeping in London by 2012 – yet it doubled during his tenure as leader. He said police in London would increase in numbers despite government cuts – this was accused of being 'barefaced lies'. Plus, he claimed during the 2012 election that robberies were down 16.3% under his mayoralty - but independent analysis showed they actually rose by 18.8%. 'Crime started rising nationally in 2014 and continued to rise during his time in office,' Wes claimed, 'including an increase in homicides.'When the 2011 riots took place, he took ownership of getting London 'through the riots' despite being on holiday when it began and only coming home after public backlash.

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When he promised the NHS would receive £350m that was supposedly being spent on the EU

Backing the infamously untrue claim on the side of the Vote Leave bus, Boris repeated this sentiment even after the UK Statistics Authority called is 'misleading'. Stating it in a published article in the Telegraph, he said: 'once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly 350m per week. It would be a fine thing as many of us have pointed out if a lot of that money went on the NHS, provided we use that cash injection to modernise and make the most of new technology.'The problem here, as we've heard a thousand times, is that there is no evidence whatsoever that Brexit will make us better off to the tune of 350 million quid. Indeed, Sir David Norgrove, the chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, has criticized Johnson for reigniting debate about this spurious claim. In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, he has said 'I am surprised and disappointed that you have chosen to repeat the figure of £350m per week in connection with the amount that might be available for extra public spending when we leave the European Union.' As such, he faced private prosecution charges for deliberately lying during the campaign. Later, it was struck out by the High Court.He denies everything, with his lawyer saying: 'I should make it clear that because of the interest in this case that it is absolutely denied by Mr Johnson that he acted in an improper or dishonest manner at any time.'

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When he implied voting to remain in the EU was unpatriotic

In his Telegraph article for which he also reiterated the £350m figure, Boris wrote, 'I look at so many young people with the 12 stars lipsticked to their faces, and I am troubled with the thought that people are beginning to have genuinely split allegiances. And when people say that they feel they have more in common with others in Europe than with people who voted leave I want to say, but that is part of the reason why people voted leave.'Did Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, just imply that it was unpatriotic for young people to be pro-European Union? Did he just suggest that by being so they are, somehow, not loyal to their country? Does the Foreign Secretary sound ever so slightly nationalistic here?Let's be clear, last year's referendum result was far from definitive. Indeed, the result was nearly a 50:50 split. The Foreign Secretary may have allied himself with those who wanted to leave the EU, either as a result of his genuinely Eurosceptic ideology or because it seemed politically prudent to do so for his own career, but that does not discount the fact that the vote was split 51.9% to 48.1%, meaning that over 16 million people disagree with his definition of patriotism.Johnson added that he feels a 'transnational sense of allegiance can weaken the ties between us'. In a global world where we rely on having relationships with people in other countries for work as well as to deepen our understanding of the lives of others, his rhetoric is dangerously isolationist.

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When he said Brexit could solve the housing crisis

In another of his many egregious falsehoods in THAT fateful Telegraph article, Boris went on to state the following: 'And I can think of obvious ways in which Brexit can help us tackle the housing crisis – perhaps the single biggest challenge for the younger generation. There may be ways of simplifying planning procedures, post-Brexit, and abbreviating impact assessments – without in any way compromising the environment. It is often pointed out that the price of housing in certain parts of London may be increased by buyers from overseas. But there is no point in putting any kind of tax on foreign buyers because the inhabitants of 27 other countries cannot legally be treated as foreign. No one would want a tax that discouraged international investment and stopped good developments from happening. No one would want to send a signal that the London market was closed.'Remember when Jeremy Corbyn and his team not only said they would scrap tuition fees but implied they'd look at current graduate debts retrospectively in order to win over the youth vote during election time? That was calculated, this is cynical.Brexit cannot solve the housing crisis. We do need to relax our planning laws, that's true, but this has nothing to do with the EU and we are already building micro-homes in an attempt to solve the crisis. Do we want laws relaxed to the point where people are living in actual shoe boxes? No. British homes are already the smallest in Europe.Johnson also implies the EU investors have driven prices up, that's not strictly true. So-called 'foreign investors' from all over the world have been involved with buying up property and renting it out at a premium or leaving it empty across the country. Such speculation has exacerbated the crisis but it didn't cause it. We need laws which state that local homes should be offered to local people first, did the Foreign Secretary do anything about this as Mayor of London? No. Did the EU advise Southwark council to knock down the Heygate estate in South London, uproot its residents and build totally unaffordable housing in its place? No.We do not need Brexit to solve the housing crisis, we need more government investment and house building, not sticking plaster schemes like Help to Buy. We need councils to meet their building targets. We need regulation of the rental market. As Mayor of London Johnson oversaw the London Property market reach its apex, he watched the housing crisis bubble up to boiling point and did nothing. Foreign investors have played a role in our housing problems but compared with the selling off of public housing assets, inaction of British politicians and vested interested of the Buy to Let landlords in Westminster they're a mere itch.

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When he blamed the Hillsborough disaster on Liverpool fans

In 2004, 15 years after multiple newspapers wrongfully accused Liverpool fans of causing the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, Boris wrote an article for The Spectator making the same accusation. At this point, he was editor of the magazine and a tory MP for Henley. More than just accusing scouse fans of killing 96 people, he also contributed to the 'whingeing scousers' stigma by accusing Liverpool people of wallowing in their victim status. You know, because they were fighting to prove a police cover-up that would take near 30 years to prove true. Eight years later, he apologised, saying 'anyone, journalist or politician, should say sorry to the people of Liverpool – as I do – for misrepresenting what happened at Hillsborough.'

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When he made up a quote and was fired from The Times

Within months of being hired by The Times through family connections, Boris was sacked after he made up a quote in his first front page story. The story was about the discovery of the Rose Palace which was built by Edward II – whom was famously rumoured to be sexually involved with Piers Gaveston. 'The trouble was that somewhere in my copy I managed to attribute to Colin the view that Edward II and Piers Gaveston would have been cavorting together in the Rose Palace,' he said. 'Unfortunately, some linkside don at a provincial university spotted that by the time the Rose Palace was built, Piers Gaveston would long have been murdered. It was very nasty.'Boris then went on to fabricate another story about the issue, questioning the date the castle was built, after which he was sacked.

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When he lied about his extramarital affair

Having been made party vice-chairman and shadow arts minister for the Conservatives back in 2003, he assured Tory leader Michael Howard that tabloid rumours about his affair with Petronella Wyatt were not true. After calling the story an 'inverted pyramid of piffle', the affair was proven true. Of course, he refused to resign despite lying. As a result, he was sacked for dishonesty for the second time in his career.

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When he started Euroscepticism

After being fired from the Times, he became Brussels correspondent for The Daily Telegraph where he went on to write many articles dubbed 'Euromyths'. They were part of a larger series of Eurosceptic articles from various papers that implied Europe was threatening the British way of life. His claims included plans to change British sausages, bananas and ban prawn cocktail crisps – as well as introduce same size 'euro coffins'. All of them were dubbed false. Although, that hasn't stopped Boris believing them – because he brought out the same notion on his 2016 Vote Leave tour when he suggested the EU was changing the shape of bananas yet again, something debunked since 1994.

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When he was accused of saying 80 million Turkish people would come to Britain unless we left the EU

Yes, really. He's denied saying it – of course, but on the record is a letter he signed stating 'the only way to avoid having common borders with Turkey is to vote Leave and take back control.''Turkey (population 76 million) is joining the EU' a Vote Leave campaign poster also read, adding 'David Cameron wants Turkey to join the EU. How will our NHS cope?'His Turkish cousin went on to say of him: 'he doesn't strike me as being very honest about his views.'

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