Boris has formally denied exclaiming he’d rather see bodies pile up in their thousands than put the UK into a third lockdown, as reported by the Mail this morning. His on-camera denial comes just after Peston claims at least three current No. 10 sources are aware of the PM saying the provocative statement:

“I am told he shouted it in his study just after he agreed to the second lockdown ‘in a rage’. The doors to the Cabinet room and outer office were allegedly open and supposedly a number of people heard. I am bothering to repeat this assertion about what the Prime Minister said because two eyewitnesses – or perhaps I should say ‘ear witnesses’ – have corroborated the Daily Mail’s account to me. Also these sources insist they did not brief the Mail, so that suggests there are three sources.”

Peston is also adamant in the same piece – providing reasonable anecdotal evidence – that his October lockdown source was not Dominic Cummings…