BORIS Johnson was swept out to sea and “nearly drowned” during a summer holiday in Scotland last year, it has been claimed.
The Prime Minister reportedly said he would never return to the country for a vacation following the incident, telling friends “over my dead body”.
The Conservative leader, his then fiancée Carrie Symonds and their son Wilfred visited the Applecross peninsula on the west coast last August.
According to unnamed sources who spoke to the Times, Johnson had to be rescued after being taken by a current while paddle-boarding or canoeing.
READ MORE: The Jouker: Boris Johnson will holiday in Scotland again 'over his dead body'
A government source told the paper he “nearly drowned” as after being “swept up by the current”.
Another source suggested that Johnson had been canoeing rather than paddleboarding.
The PM’s personal security detail, who watched from the shore, considered calling in a rescue helicopter, it is reported.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson 'continued Scots visit despite close aide's positive Covid test'
A source said: "He was taken out by the current. He got swept away and found himself going further and further out."
Another source added: "It was all fine in the end but it could have been a catastrophe."
The Prime Minister is said to have paddled halfway back to the shore where he was met by the bodyguards, who had stripped off to swim to his recue.
Downing Street declined to comment on the story.
Just last month, the Tory leader expressed his desire to holiday again in Scotland.
During a session of the Liaison Committee, SNP MP Pete Wishart asked: "Are you going to come back to Scotland for another staycation this summer?"
Johnson replied: "Wild horses won't keep me away."
Emergency services and leading politicians have been forced to reiterate safety advice after a series of tragedies in Scotland’s waters this summer.
A total of seven people died in one week last month, with both children and adults getting into difficulty in rivers and lochs.
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