1 December 2020 | UK NEWS
MPs have voted to introduce a new tiered system of restrictions, following the official end of lockdown tomorrow.
Boris Johnson faced a revolt in the Commons from his own MPs, but the measures still passed. 291 MPs voted for the legislation, however 78 voted against the Government. Over 50 Tory MPs voted against the Prime Minister.
This means that, had the Opposition chosen to vote against the measures, the Government would have been defeated.
The Labour Party abstained from the vote. Its leadership chose to abstain due to what it perceived as a lack of support for the hospitality industry. Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer said: “I remain deeply concerned that Boris Johnson’s Government has failed to use this latest lockdown to put a credible health and economic plan in place.
“We still don’t have a functioning testing system, public health messaging is confused, and businesses across the country are crying out for more effective economic support to get them through the winter months.”
Johnson accused Labour of “playing politics” during the pandemic. He said: “Keir Starmer is playing politics in the middle of a global pandemic, instead of working with the Government to find a way through this difficult time for the British people. We will continue to engage, listen and work with MPs who have concerns.”
The result of the vote means that 99% of the country will be plunged into the two highest tiers of the harsher system from tomorrow. Only Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly will be in Tier 1.
Only Warrington and Liverpool, two North-Western cities, will face lighter restrictions than they did prior to the national lockdown, both moving from Tier 3 to Tier 2.
Tory rebels, led by the Covid Recovery Group, argued that there was a lack of impact assessments carried out to warrant these new regulations. Other criticisms from the group included the restriction of personal liberties and the “arbitrary” allocation of counties into their designated tiers.
MP Steve Baker Wrote on Twitter before the vote tonight: “This is a dangerous moment in the life of our country. People feel they have been pushed too far and suffered too much. Govt’s analysis should have compared its own approach with alternative approaches – to show the costs & benefits.
“Gov is asking MPs to vote on restrictions without knowing whether they’re proportional. And we’re now heading into infringements on our liberties around vaccinations & testing, which we’d never normally tolerate. Reluctantly, I must vote no tonight.”
