The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a massive party rebellion after over 100 Conservative lawmakers voted against his new coronavirus restrictions.
Johnson, who holds a majority of 74 seats in the parliament of 650, had to depend on the backing of the opposition Labour Party to pass the new pandemic regulations. “The prime minister was forced to rely on the votes of Labour MPs to win Commons approval for the introduction” of the measures, the newspaper Independent reported.
With 101 of 364 Conservative lawmakers rejecting Johnson’s restrictions, the BBC noted that “the scale of the rebellion is even worse than predicted. Not just a slap on the wrist for Mr Johnson, but a very serious rejection of his plan.”
The prime minister now faces a leadership challenge in coming weeks, the Daily Telegraph and other UK newspapers commented.
The newly-approved rules, named “Plan B,” require Britons to show their vaccine status or a negative test at pubs and other crowded venues.
UK’s Sky News reported the UK Lower House vote:
Boris Johnson has suffered the biggest Conservative rebellion since the 2019 general election as 101 Tory MPs opposed the introduction of COVID certificates for nightclubs and large events in England.
In a House of Commons vote that immediately raised further questions over the prime minister’s leadership, more than a quarter of Tory MPs opposed a key measure of Mr Johnson’s “Plan B” for dealing with COVID infections this winter.
However, despite the large Conservative rebellion, the Commons approved the tougher COVID restrictions for England in the wake of the discovery of the Omicron variant, as Labour supported the government’s new measures.
Mr Johnson, who was already facing Tory anger over allegations of Christmas parties in Downing Street last year in breach of COVID rules, will be further buffeted by the size of Tuesday night’s rebellion.
The Tory revolt against COVID passes, which came from among a variety of factions within the Conservative Party, was larger than most pre-vote estimates.
The Tuesday night’s vote highlights the growing rebellion in the Conservative Party against the Johnson government’s ever tightening Wuhan pandemic restrictions. Many Conservative lawmakers reportedly rejected the measures on ideological grounds.
“Many of tonight’s Tory rebels rejected the plan for Covid passes because of their instinct – a fundamental dislike in Conservative thinking of forcing people to do anything,” the BBC explained.
The new restrictions come amid revelations about last year’s Downing Street Christmas party, at a time when the whole country was under strict gathering rules. While families across the UK were not allowed to see their loved ones amid surging Wuhan virus infections, the prime minister and his staffers reportedly broke all social distancing and lockdown rules.
“Officials knocked back glasses of wine during a Christmas quiz and a Secret Santa while the rest of the country was forced to stay home,” the UK’s Daily Mirror disclosed recently.
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