UK politics live: Boris Johnson claims he considered raid into Holland to recover ‘kidnapped’ Covid vaccines

Pension credit claims have hit almost 75,000 amid Government efforts to boost benefits take-up.

Department for Work and Pensions figures released on Friday showed the Government received around 74,400 pension credit claims in the eight weeks since 29 July, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced means testing for the winter fuel payment.

This is up from 29,500 claims in the eight weeks before the announcement.

But in the seven days beginning on 16 September, the department received 11,800 claims, down from 13,400 the week before.

The vast majority (92 per cent) of claims made in the week beginning 16 September were made online.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has previously urged pensioners to check if they are eligible for the benefit, which would unlock winter fuel payments of up to £300.

Boris Johnson has written of the moment he handed before he went to the ICU suffering with Covid-19.

Writing in Unleashed, serialised in Mail + he said: “With the oximeter on my finger, we could see that my oxygen levels started slowly to creep up again, and I began to feel sleepy. Before I folded, there was one thing I had to do.

“I rang Dominic Raab. ‘First Secretary of State,’ I said.

“‘PM,’ he said. “‘You know I said that you might have to deputise for me,’ I said.

“‘Yes, PM.’

“‘Well, that moment has come.’

“‘No problem, PM,’ he said. ‘Get well soon.’

“He didn’t sound remotely rattled – in fact, he went on to do an ­outstanding job.”

If Mr Johnson had died, Mr Raab would have taken over as caretaker prime minister while a successor was chosen from a leadership election.

Boris Johnson has insisted he didn’t see anything illegal at his Downing Street birthday party writing in his memoir Unleashed, being serialised in Mail +.

Writing about the fallout of the event he said: “I relied upon Sue Gray, who (though I did not know this) had already been approached to be the chief of staff to Ed Miliband, former Labour leader, and who was to go on to be the chief of staff to Keir Starmer, my number one political foe.

“Some of the allegations in her report – vomiting, fights and so on – turned out to be untrue, and had to be withdrawn.

“As for all the other fines that were issued – more than 120 fixed penalty notices – the answer is of course that I don’t know. I wasn’t there, or didn’t see anything that looked illegal. If the fines were like mine, they must have been a bit puzzling.

“But what could I do? I paid the fine and got on with the job. I had a lot on.”

Defence Secretary John Healey is looking at a rumoured Israeli ground invasion into Lebanon “really carefully”.

Mr Healey said on Friday airstrikes and rocket fire exchanged between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah present a “risk that this escalates into something that is much wider and much more serious”.

Defence Secretary John Healey is looking at a rumoured Israeli ground invasion into Lebanon “really carefully”.

Mr Healey said on Friday airstrikes and rocket fire exchanged between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah present a “risk that this escalates into something that is much wider and much more serious”.

Asked about the rumoured ground invasion, Mr Healey replied: “We’re watching this really carefully. That will be a matter for the Israelis.

“At the moment, it’s airstrikes. At the moment, there are missiles from the Lebanese Hezbollah directed at Israel. This conflict serves no one.”

Boris Johnson has insisted that he had no birthday cake at the Downing Street event that launched the Partygate scandal.

The former Prime Minister wrote in Unleashed being serialised Mail +: “I saw no cake. I ate no blooming cake. If this was a party, it was the feeblest event in the history of human festivity.

“I had only just got over Covid. I did not sing. I did not dance. I ate a salad – but then it was lunchtime, and I do normally eat at my desk. I did not meet anyone that I don’t meet in the course of the working day.”

The scandal contributed to Boris Johnson‘s downfall as Prime Minister and his resignation as an MP.

He added: “I have no idea what version of events people gave the police. But I very much doubt that it was fair. I was obviously ­vulnerable to the testimony of some who were determined to bring me down.”