Boris Johnson suggested injecting himself with Covid on TV - ex-adviser

Boris Johnson suggested injecting himself with Covid on live television in the early days of the pandemic to prove it did not pose a threat to the public, the Covid inquiry has heard.

Lord Lister, a No 10 adviser at the time, said the idea was "unfortunate" and "made in the heat of the moment."

He also confirmed his former boss had said letting "the bodies pile high" was preferable to another lockdown.

The remark was made in September 2020 but first reported in April 2021,

Giving evidence to the Covid inquiry, Lord Lister said the comment was made at a time when the government was "trying to avoid a further lockdown given the already severe impact on the economy and education."

Lord Edward Udny-Lister is a long-time ally of Boris Johnson having worked with him during his time as mayor of London and prime minister.

In the session, which lasted over two hours, Lord Lister was also asked about the atmosphere in the Downing Street operation.

Last week, Helen MacNamara, a senior civil servant during the Covid pandemic, said there had been a "macho" culture and that a "toxic" environment had affected decision-making.

Lord Lister said: "I think there was a lot of tension that was taking place" adding that Dominic Cummings, another senior adviser in Downing Street, was "not an easy man to deal with".

The inquiry was shown messages in which the head of the civil service Simon Case said of his Downing Street colleagues: "These people are so mad... they are just so madly self-defeating.

"I've never seen a bunch of people less well-equipped to run the country."

Later in the session, Lord Lister was asked about the UK government's relationship with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales during the pandemic.

He said there had been "a great deal of mistrust and frustration" towards the Scottish government.

"It seemed to us in Downing Street, it didn't matter what the decision was, Scotland would want to do things slightly differently."

Asked if he felt the Scottish government was being "opportunistic", Lord Lister said "I think that is a good word".

He later added that Mr Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon, who was Scotland's first minister during the pandemic, "generally didn't like each other very much".

Questioned on the second lockdown, introduced in November 2020, Lord Lister suggested it could have been avoided if the tier system had been given more time to work.

Under the tier system, areas where subject to different restrictions depending on the prevalence of the disease. It was essentially made redundant around a month after being introduced, when Mr Johnson implemented a second national lockdown.

Lord Lister said the tier system was "messy but the right thing to do" adding: "If we kept going I believe it would have worked."

Earlier in the day, the Covid inquiry had seen further extracts from a diary written in October 2020 by the government's then chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.

The note says Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak, who was chancellor at the time, were both "clutching at straws" while trying to argue against a second lockdown in October 2020.

Sir Patrick describes a meeting on 8 October as, "very bad".

After being shown the final slide in a presentation by the Covid-19 Taskforce, Sir Patrick wrote that Mr Johnson responded, "Whisky and revolver."

"He was all over the place", Sir Patrick says, adding that Mr Sunak was using "increasingly specific and spurious arguments against closing hospitality".

In another diary entry from 25 October, Sir Patrick says Mr Johnson "owns the reality for a day and then is buffeted by a discussion with [the chancellor]."

Simon Ridley, former Head of the Cabinet Office Covid taskforce also gave evidence to the inquiry on Tuesday.

He admitted the taskforce wasn't asked about the Eat Out To Help Out scheme introduced by Mr Sunak in summer 2020.

The scheme gave diners up to 50% of their bill off and was aimed at bolstering the hospitality industry, however some scientists have argued it helped the virus spread.

Asked whether his team had been "completely blindsided by the Treasury", Mr. Ridley responded, "correct."

The inquiry is taking witness evidence in London until Christmas, before moving to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.