Boris Johnson has chaired a cabinet meeting as he attempts to shift the focus from a series of claims and questions over his conduct.
Among them is an accusation the PM once said he would rather see “bodies pile high” than approve a third lockdown.
Mr Johnson and No 10 strongly denied he said the phrase, as the PM described multiple reports as “total rubbish”.
The prime minister is also facing mounting pressure over the cost of redecorating his Downing Street flat.
Downing Street refused to say whether Mr Johnson received a loan from the Conservative Party to pay for renovations, but said any “gifts or benefits” would be declared in the ministerial transparency registers.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Mr Johnson had not explained how the renovation was being funded.
“If he wanted to prove to the country that he has acted entirely above reproach, he should give us that full and frank explanation – but so far he’s refused to do it,” Mr Ashworth said.
Asked about the funding, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told BBC Breakfast: “The only thing I do know is the prime minister has said that he paid for the expenses of redecoration.”
On Monday, the prime minister was asked whether he said he would rather see “bodies pile high” than approve a third lockdown. He responded by saying: “No, but I think the important thing I think people want us to get on and do as a government is to make sure that the lockdowns work.”
Mr Johnson was expected to use the cabinet meeting to emphasise the importance of ministers focusing on everyday concerns, rather than the noise at Westminster, BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said.
A statement from Downing Street after the meeting said ministers discussed a range of topics, from sending support to India through to updates from Northern Ireland.
But there was no mention in the statement of the ongoing questions facing Mr Johnson, which instead offered a warning on coronavirus that the UK was “not out of the woods yet as variants of concern continue to pose a threat”.
It added: “The PM said that while the road ahead looks positive, there will still be challenges and this government will continue to take tough decisions where necessary to protect both lives and livelihoods.”
The cabinet meeting was seen as an opportunity for senior ministers to wrestle back control of the political agenda after a series of damaging allegations made by Mr Johnson’s former chief aide Dominic Cummings last week.
Ahead of the meeting, No 10 said the cabinet would be told to focus on “jabs and jobs”.
