100 rebels bash BoJo in key vote
BORIS Johnson has suffered a massive body blow with over 100 Conservative MPs voting against his plans for Covid passports at large events in England.
The already battered Prime Minister’s authority was smashed by one of the biggest Tory rebellions of recent times which left him relying on Keir Starmer’s Labour Party to get the measures through.
Tory whips had hoped to whittle down the number of disgruntled MPs but in the most important of a series of Commons votes last night, Johnson squandered the support of more than his 80-seat majority.
Labour whips suggested that there had been between 101 to 103 Tory rebels, almost a third of the Conservative MPs, joined by a handful of Labour MPs and Lib Dems in the 126 votes against Covid passport measures.
Only 54 MPs of the 361 Conservative MPs are needed to trigger a confidence vote in the party leader, with senior Tories warning the Prime Minister he had to reset his premiership after a series of scandals and bungles over his handling of the pandemic.
Former Tory whip Mark Harper MP said: “A significant number of Conservative MP sent a clear message that they want a change of approach. I hope the Prime Minister will listen and respond accordingly.”
The SNP did not take part in the vote on England-only regulations and the Prime Minister had to rely on Labour to get the public health measures over the line with a majority of 243 votes.
Wes Streeting, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said Johnson’s authority was “shattered” by the rebellion, adding: “That is an extraordinary, extraordinary rebellion. The Government has lost its majority. I think the size of that vote is a reflection of the shattered authority of Boris Johnson.
“He is undermining public health at a critical moment for our country. I think he has got to ask himself if he is the right man to lead our country through the next phase of the pandemic.”