Boris Johnson "wanted to be injected with Covid-19 on television" to calm public fears, an ex-aide has said.
The claim - by Lord Lister - came in a witness statement to the Covid inquiry.
He said Mr Johnson "suggested to senior civil servants and advisers that he wanted to be injected with Covid-19 on television to demonstrate to the public that it did not pose a threat."
It was "at a time when Covid was not seen as being the serious disease it subsequently became," he added.
He said it was an "unfortunate comment" that had been "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,
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