Facts

When Priti Patel was asked by Marr: “Can you now admit as government that herd immunity was the policy until March?”, Patel said: “Not at all, no. Absolutely not.” 

In March 2020, Johnson’s lead scientist told a press conference that herd immunity was, in fact, part of the plan. 

Dr David Halpern, a government scientific adviser also told BBC’s Mark Easton about the plan for “herd immunity”.

A TV documentary later revealed that Boris Johnson had also told the Italian Prime Minister that he was aiming for “herd immunity”.

Verdict

The Home Secretary’s claim that the government did not have a policy of pursuing “herd immunity” is disputed by credible experts - and testimony from a TV documentary.