Ian Blackford has called on Boris Johnson to resign if his comments about allowing coronavirus to “let rip” and the “bodies to pile high” are true.
The SNP’s Westminster leader called on the prime minister to give a statement on the remarks and stand down if he did indeed make them.
He said the denials are now “threadbare”, adding: “The evidence against Boris Johnson is now becoming overwhelming. And in the face of that evidence, including the accounts of people who are prepared to swear on oath that he did make these comments, his repeated and shifty denials are becoming threadbare.
“Unfit to be prime minister”
“To make comments about letting covid ‘rip’ and allowing bodies to ‘pile up’ is utterly abhorrent, and if confirmed would show that Johnson is unfit to be Prime Minister.
“This Tory government is completely out of touch with millions of people across the UK, who have made huge sacrifices and lost friends, colleagues and family members to this awful disease. They deserve better than Boris Johnson’s glib attitude and disgusting comments.
“Now that witnesses are willing to swear on oath that the Prime Minister made these comments, is he willing to do the same? Johnson must come to parliament to make a statement, answer questions, and – if he did make these comments – accept responsibility and announce his resignation.”
Testify under oath
Meanwhile, multiple sources who heard Johnson say he would rather “let the bodies pile high” than allow a third coronavirus lockdown say they are willing to testify under oath that he made the comments, ITV News reported.
Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, on Tuesday said: “I was told by two sources is that the prime minister said this at the end of October in his study.
“He was furious because he felt he’d been railroaded into this second lockdown that happened in November. The Daily Mail initially reported he was so furious he’d rather see bodies piling up than a third lockdown.
“He was in his study and was shouting. I’ve got two ear-witnesses to all this and there’s a third … Both of my witnesses say that if asked under oath they would confirm the reports that ITV has put out and indeed the Mail have put out.”
Related: A look back at all the times Johnson has been ‘misheard’ in public office