Boris Johnson’s “plan B” social restrictions to address the surging omicron variant in England were yesterday approved in the Commons, with the prime minister surviving a major rebellion by his own Tory backbenchers to see them confirmed.
Many Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were opposed to the new rules, particularly the NHS Covid Pass, considering it an infringement of civil liberties, while others seized on the vote as an opportunity to express their disdain for Mr Johnson’s increasingly troubled and discredited leadership.
But, with the support of the Labour Party, who agreed that the new measures were in the national interest, the new Covid rules passed, with vaccine passports approved by 369 votes to 126 – meaning 97 Tories voted against their own leader in the biggest revolt so far of Mr Johnson’s premiership.
The first new restrictions imposed on England since “Freedom Day” on 19 July make it mandatory to wear face masks in shops, cinemas, theatres and places of worship and on public transport (but not bars and restaurants), working from home is advised and the NHS Covid Pass, displayed via the NHS app on smartphones, is now required for entry to unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people in attendance and in unseated outdoor spaces with more than 4,000 people present – and in any venue with more than 10,000 such as sports stadia.
“Plan A”, encouraging the takeup of vaccine booster jabs, is still in effect and has been expanded to gradually make a third shot available to all over-18s by the end of December as early testing indicates it could be crucial to preserving immunity against the latest strain of the virus.
Instilling a new sense of urgency in that strategy has already seen the NHS website crash to cope with the heightened demand for appointments and queues forming around the block at walk-in vaccination centres and at pharmacies offering the jab.
As it stands, abiding by these rules and getting the booster are the only requirements in England as we enter the final working days before Christmas.
However, that could all change, with Mr Johnson and health secretary Sajid Javid repeatedly declining opportunities to rule out further restrictions or even a fourth national lockdown as the extent of the threat represented by omicron becomes clearer.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps has meanwhile said that Parliament will be recalled over the festive season should tighter rules become necessary while expressing the hope that the present arrangements will “see us through to the New Year”.
“We want people to be able to enjoy Christmas this year. We are certainly in a better position than we were this time last year. We want people to be sensible but to enjoy their Christmas,” he told Sky News.
While it is true that the vaccines have kept coronavirus deaths and hospitalisations low, the UK’s daily infection rate is actually more than twice as high as it was in December 2020 when Mr Johnson was forced to abandon a Christmas amnesty and impose tough “tier 4” measures on much of the south east, with almost 60,000 cases recorded on Tuesday just prior to the Commons vote.
Should those numbers begin to translate into hospitalisations and threaten to overwhelm the NHS, the rules could change again.
A “Plan C” has reportedly already been drawn up behind the scenes at Whitehall in the event of a further downturn in fortunes of the sort the UK suffered in January and February this year, although it is still considered, at this juncture, a last resort.
