Singular/plural juxtaposition ? ("... was remarks ...")

There are many questions here on singular and plural controversies and one thing I have noticed is that many of these apparent contradictions are resolvable by grammar. However, sometimes, the ear (that is to say, in reading, the eye and the mind) find the juxtaposition of singular and plural unacceptable even if ‘grammar’ is satisfied.

In actual fact, what has got tongues wagging was remarks that Boris Johnson made about the UK’s success with vaccines …

BBC News 24th March 2021

This is Laura Kuenssberg on Boris Johnson’s ‘pharma greed’ remarks which remarks Mr Johnson immediately withdrew as irrelevant to the question of ‘political vaccine controversy’. Laura Kuenssberg is the Political Editor of the BBC and one of the leaders in expressing contemporary British English.

Yet, even from such a reliable and respected source, ‘was remarks’ sounds wrong (to my own ear) because of the juxtaposition of a singular and a plural, albeit that ‘grammar’ says it should be so.

‘What has got’ is singular. But ‘remarks’ is plural.

What is thought about this ? Does this seem, conceptually, wrong ? And, if so, should ‘grammar’ bow to the conceptual instinct ?

---

The sentence can be re-worded :

What has got tongues wagging is that Boris Johnson made remarks about … etc.