After a disastrous week for Number 10, Boris Johnson is facing more misery as more than 60 Conservative MPs are said to be against the latest Covid measures introduced under Plan B.
In what could prove to be the largest rebellion of his premiership, dozens of backbenchers are pledging to vote down plans for vaccine passports to be made mandatory for large venues.
The Prime Minister announced on Wednesday he would be triggering his winter protocols in a bid to buy the UK time in the fight against the Omicron variant of the virus.
The introduction of Covid passes will mean those who have not been fully vaccinated will not be able to enter indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any venue with more than 10,000 people from Wednesday.
The Government insists its Plan B restrictions – which saw face masks become mandatory in most indoor public settings in England yesterday and will see work from home orders come into force from Monday – are “proportionate” to the threat Omicron poses.
But former Cabinet ministers David Davis, Esther McVey, Dr Liam Fox and Greg Clark are among those to have voiced concerns about the scaling-up of restrictions.
Mr Clark, a former business secretary, said the Government had “jumped the gun” in choosing to act before more was known about the impact Omicron could have on hospital admissions.
Former trade secretary Dr Fox, speaking in a debate in the Commons, said it was “difficult to justify these extra measures”.
Senior Conservatives, including select committee chairmen Tobias Ellwood and William Wragg, have spoken in opposition to the measures while 2019 in-take MPs such as Dehenna Davison and Lee Anderson – who represent so-called former Labour “red wall” constituencies – have already announced they will rebel on Tuesday’s vote in the House of Commons.
Former defence minister Mr Ellwood, who chairs the Defence Committee, told Sky News on Saturday: “I’d strongly urge the Government to drop the vote on vaccination passports next week.
“It is not the appropriate tactic to impose on a very weary nation at this time.”
Former Brexit minister Steve Baker, who has also announced that he will vote against all Plan B measures in the Commons, has accused the prime minister of an “overreaction” to the spread of Omicron and claimed he is “squandering the trust of voters”.
In an opinion piece for The Telegraph on Saturday evening, Mr Baker wrote that the PM is “treading the dangerous path of introducing domestic covid certification”.
He announced that he will relaunch the rightwing Tory pressure group Conservative Way Forward, encouraging other Conservative Party members to join.
According to The Sun, Mr Baker told MPs in the Covid Recovery Group (CRG) WhatsApp chat that ministerial resignations were “likely” during the restrictions row. He has so far declined to comment on the report.
Despite the difficulties facing the Prime Minister – who enjoys a majority of around 80 in the Commons – on his own benches, the Plan B vote is almost certain to pass with Labour support.
More from Politics
Asked about the prospect of a Tory rebellion, Communities Secretary Michael Gove said he was “confident” MPs would examine the proposals “seriously, soberly and thoughtfully” in light of the fast way Omicron has been spreading across the UK.
Speaking to broadcasters on Friday, he added: “I’m also confident people will conclude that, on balance, it is right to act.”
Mr Johnson told a Downing Street press conference this week he would like to lift the Plan B measures “no later than early January”.
The UK reported a further 633 new Omicron cases in the past 24 hours on Saturday, taking the total number of infections of the new variant to 1,898.
A further 54,073 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were recorded in the UK today, while a further 132 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 171,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
It comes after experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) warned that Omicron could lead to anywhere between 25,000 and 75,000 deaths in England over the next five months unless tougher restrictions are imposed to halt its spread.
Scientists have warned that the new Covid strain is doubling every two to three days in the UK, and will likely become the dominant variant in the next few weeks.
