UK PM Johnson denies saying 'let the bodies pile high'

London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied on Monday saying he would rather bodies piled "high in their thousands" than order a third social and economic lockdown to stem coronavirus infections, as reported in a newspaper.

Johnson is facing a stream of allegations in newspapers about everything from his muddled initial handling of the COVID-19 crisis to questions over who financed the redecoration of his official apartment. The Daily Mail newspaper cited unidentified sources as saying that, in October, shortly after agreeing to a second lockdown, Johnson told a meeting in Downing Street: "No more fucking lockdowns - let the bodies pile high in their thousands."