Cummings says Boris Johnson wanted Chris Whitty to 'inject him with Covid live on TV'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered to be injected with Covid live on TV to reassure the public and “show it’s nothing to be scared of” — before he contracted the virus and was later hospitalised.

The extraordinary claims came as Dominic Cummings gave evidence on the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic to MPs.

Speaking at a Commons committee, the former No 10 special advisor told MPs that many inside government wanted to downplay the pandemic, and the prime minister thought it was the new swine flu.